Short answers, pulled from the story.
Ukrainian forces captured documents revealing the existence of Storm-Z units on the 6th of April 2023. These penal military groups emerged from a specific moment in the war when Russia needed fresh troops after the Wagner Group rebellion.
Successful participation in Storm-Z units resulted in a significant deduction of their prison sentence and a monthly payment of $2,200 for dangerous work. Convicts pulled from prisons across Russia received these clear promises attached to their service.
Casualty rates for Storm-Z units reached between 40 and 70 percent during the Battle of Avdiivka. Analysts reported that hundreds of convicts died due to a lack of armor, air support, and artillery backing.
Colonel Aslan Shurdumov commanded the Storm Gladiator group before his arrest for a 2013 murder. Vladislav Olensky, an FSB agent arrested in 2012 for extortion, organized the formation.
Vladimir Putin signed a law officially disbanding Storm-Z units on the 24th of June 2023. This legislation replaced them with new Storm-V units that offered different terms to convicts.