Thousands Of Prisoners Apply To Join Army To Fight Russia And Have Their Sentences Cleared
Ukraine is recruiting prisoners to join the fight against Russia, offering a deal where prisoners can have their sentences cleared if they serve in the army without leave until the end of the war.
Over 4,500 prisoners have applied so far, with more than 1,700 already given the green light.
According to Reuters, the justice ministry expects between 10,000 and 20,000 inmates to sign up in total.
Prisoners convicted of certain offences, such as murder, sexual crimes, and treason, are barred from serving.
Those who apply must pass medical checks and have their application approved by a court. Once approved, they will serve in separate units and be closely monitored by commanders.
The move is aimed at addressing Ukraine’s struggle to recruit enough soldiers, particularly for frontline positions. The country’s population of 38 million is significantly outnumbered by Russia’s 144 million, and its troops are exhausted and suffering heavy losses.
The recruitment of prisoners is seen as a way to rehabilitate and give a second chance to those who have made mistakes, while also helping to defend the country.
A prisoner, Vitaliy Yatsenko, said, “I want to help my country. And I want society to understand that people have the ability to rehabilitate.”
“My mother was in hysterics … I’ve been here for five years – a year left and I’m going off to war,” another prison who signed up and was in for theft, Mykola Rybalka, told Reuters in the yard of his prison in Kyiv region.
“You know, five years behind these walls leave their mark. You’ve seen a lot and understood a lot. You’re not scared of anything anymore,” he said.
The 3rd Brigade’s representative, Oleh Petrenko, said his brigade would not treat convicts differently to other men.
“We don’t see any difference between normal mobilised (men) and prisoners,” Petrenko said.
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