Vor.

This is coolbert:

Normally criminals do not make for good soldiers. "Noble" experiments to release criminal elements from prison during a time of war - - a parole being offered convicts in return for the inmate being willing to perform honorable military service, often backfires, not worth the effort.

Persons, criminal elements, not having from the get-go the proper character and not willing to conform to discipline of an unremitting nature, just make poor material for incorporation into the military.

Here thanks to the wiki, some info regarding the Soviet approach to the matter during the Second World War [WW2]. Members of the "guild of thieves" - - inmates of the GULAG, being offered release in return for faithful military service. SOME vor [criminals] accepting the offer, BETRAYING THE THIEVES CODE IN THE PROCESS!

As one might expect, the Soviet experience - - very harsh and brutal, both during the war and SUBSEQUENTLY!

The Thief in Law those Soviet underworld criminals sentenced to the GULAG, organized criminals, thieves, habitual and irredeemable.

"Thief in law (Russian: вор в законе, vor v zakone . . . ("A criminal who obeys The Thieves' Code") is a criminal . . . within the criminal underworld in the old Soviet Union, Russia and the republics that formed the former Soviet Union"

Those person released from the GULAG, performing honorable military service during WW2, post-war returning to their criminal ways and eventual re-incarceration, becoming participants in what became known as the "Bitch Wars". Criminal inmates of the GULAG versus other criminal inmates of the GULAG in mortal combat! War outside of prison, war inside of prison.

"After World War 2, the vory in the GULAG system were weakened by the so-called Bitch Wars - a prison gang war between pure vory [those that refused to perform military service] and the so-called suki ("bitches"). The 'suki' . . . had broken the thieves' code by agreeing to join the Soviet army and fight against Nazi Germany during World War 2 (in exchange for being freed from prison)."

"By joining the army, they violated the Thieves' Code which expressly forbids assisting authority in any way."

"Since most 'suki' were tough, life long criminals and assassins hardened by the experience of brutal combat during World War 2 . . . This resulted in the so called Bitch Wars which lasted for decades. Due to a large number of 'suki', most gulags were divided into two separate zones: one for 'suki' and one for 'vors'."

Right! Both sets of combatants were tough in the extreme. Hardened criminals make even rougher by the experiences of the GULAG, the suki furthermore trained veterans of WW2, seeing a lot of death, and probably having to kill on many occasions as well!

Rough customers all around! Persons quite willing to use violence, kill, and experienced and adept at doing so!

Vor too, sentenced to death, making appropriate candidates to become a "volunteer" [NKVD], a "Robinson" [Smersh], a "gladiator" [VCheka], a "puppet" [spetsnaz]! A criminal sentenced to death, being used as a live training "dummy" in mortal combat with the trained martial artists of the various Soviet special operations units. [Suvorov writes at length about the Soviet use of condemned criminals in such a manner.]

coolbert.