Putin allows criminal defendants to escape trial if they enlist in military

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed measures that allow defendants in criminal cases to avoid prosecution if they join the military. The move comes as military manpower needs remain high in the more than 2 1/2-year-old conflict in Ukraine. The measures amend a section of the Russian criminal code that stated convicts could be released if they enlisted in the military, and that suspects whose cases are under investigation but not yet in court can be eligible to have their cases suspended. The new measures extend the suspension offer to those whose cases are in the trial stage.