Storm-V (Russian: Шторм-V, romanized: Shtorm-V) is a series of penal military units established by a law which was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin which disbanded Storm-Z and replaced it with Storm-V.[2] The V in Storm-V stands for "vityazi", the Russian word for ‘knights.’[3][dubious – discuss] Storm-V was created on 24 June 2023.

[citation needed] It was claimed that Storm-V units did not offer pardons or even parole and extend convicts' contracts indefinitely until the end of the war, unlike Storm-Z units where pardon was promised after a 6 months contract.

[8] However, in comparison with Storm-Z units, Storm-V units are given full pay similar to the regular Russian military as well as benefits and allowances.

[9] In October 2024 Finnish media Helsingin Sanomat released an article about a Finnish-speaking Russian prisoner of war who was part of Storm-V.[10] He was interviewed by a Finnish soldier in the RVC unit that captured him.

When he was asked about how the Russian military treated you, he answered that they had been "abandoned like wet rags left to dry on our own", "all the wounded are laying around and dying" and that they "had probably eaten more sand here than regular food".