Russian parliament backs recruiting criminals for regular army for Ukraine conflict

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo of Russian troops in training (Reuters)

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The lower house of Russia's parliament on Wednesday gave its initial backing to legislation that will allow the Defence Ministry to sign contracts with suspected or convicted criminals to fight in Ukraine, the TASS news agency reported.

More than 15 months into what Russia calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine, Moscow - whose forces have suffered heavy losses - is trying to recruit more soldiers for what is Europe's largest land war since World War Two.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Andrew Osborn)