MOSCOW, November 10. /TASS/. Convicted criminals recruited to fight in the special military operation in Ukraine are making amends and redeeming themselves by shedding blood as part of combat assault brigades, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked about potential pardons for convicts who have fought in the special operation.

The question was posed following media reports on the pardon granted to Vladislav Kanyus, who was sentenced for the murder of Vera Pekhteleva, a 23-year-old student, in the western Siberian region of Kuzbass in 2020. Peskov said that there is a well-known procedure for issuing pardons, and one of the available options is obtaining a pardon decision from relevant commissions at various levels, up to the federal government, after which pardon documents are submitted to the president.

"There is a second way, which is when they - those sentenced, even on grave charges - shed their blood on the battlefield to atone for their crimes. They redeem themselves by shedding blood in assaults brigades, under bullet fire and shelling," the Kremlin spokesman stressed.

"That’s all I can say on this case," he added.