Ukrainian convicts offered release at high price: join the fight against Russia

DNIPROPETROVSK REGION, Ukraine – In a rural penal colony in southeastern Ukraine, several inmates gather under barbed wire to hear an army recruiter offer them parole. In exchange, they must participate in the fierce fight against Russia.

“You can put an end to this and start a new life,” said the recruiter, a member of a volunteer assault battalion. “The main thing is your will, because you are going to defend the homeland. You don’t succeed with 50%, you have to give 100%, or even 150%.

Ukraine is expanding its recruitment program to address battlefield personnel shortages, more than two years after the start of hostilities against the full-scale Russian invasion. And its recruiting efforts have turned, for the first time, to the country’s prison population.

Although Ukraine announces no details on the number of troops deployed or casualties, front-line commanders openly acknowledge that they face serious manning challenges as Russia continues to build up its forces in eastern Ukraine and make gradual gains towards the west.

More than 3,000 prisoners have already been conditionally released and assigned to military units after such recruitment was approved by parliament in a controversial mobilization bill last month, Ukrainian Deputy Justice Minister Olena Vysotska told The Associated Press.

According to Justice Department estimates, about 27,000 inmates could potentially be eligible for the new program.

“A lot of the motivation comes from the fact that inmates want to go home as heroes, not just go home after a period of prison,” Vysotska said.

Ernest Volvach, 27, wants to accept this offer. He is serving a two-year prison sentence for theft in the penal colony in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine. He works in the kitchen, pouring ladles of food into tin bowls.

“It’s stupid to sit here and do nothing,” Volvach said, adding that since the beginning of the war he wanted to “do something for Ukraine” and have the opportunity to enlist. “Now it has appeared.”

Active-duty Ukrainian soldiers are usually identified only by their first name or a call sign, for security reasons. Many inmates at the Dnipropetrovsk penal colony have also asked to be identified only by their first name to avoid difficulties if they enlist.

Another inmate, 30, who goes by the name Volodymyr, makes rivets in a workshop in the penal colony. He said he planned to volunteer after his sentence ends in a year, but would not do so now because there is effectively no home leave under the parole program.

Prisoners can be granted parole after an interview, a medical examination and a review of their conviction. Those convicted of rape, sexual assault, murder of two or more people or crimes against the national security of Ukraine are not eligible.

Ukrainian officials are keen to distinguish their program from Russia’s recruitment of convicts to serve in the notorious Wagner mercenary group. These fighters have typically been sent to the deadliest battles, officials say, but the Ukrainian program aims to integrate the detainees into regular Ukrainian front-line units.

The country has a prison population of around 42,000 people, according to figures provided by the government to the European Union.

While recent reforms have reduced prisoner numbers and improved conditions in some facilities, the U.S. State Department noted credible reports of “degrading treatment or punishment” by prison authorities in its annual human rights report last year.

After being selected, paroled inmates are immediately sent to camps for basic training where they learn how to use weapons and master other combat techniques. The training is completed later, once they have joined the different units.

Parolee Mykhailo took part in an assault course and said it was difficult to meet the physical demands after months of relative inactivity in prison – climbing in and out of armed personnel carriers and running through obstacle courses.

“I decided to join the Ukrainian Volunteer Army because I have a family at home, children, parents,” said the 29-year-old, speaking over the noise of the shots fired at a shooting range. “I will be more useful during the war.”

According to the Deputy Minister of Justice, interest in the military parole program has exceeded initial expectations and could result in the recruitment of up to 5,000 new military personnel. “That would definitely help,” she added.

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Gatopoulos reported from kyiv. Volodymyr Yurchuk from Dnipropetrovsk region and Dmytro Zhyhinas from kyiv contributed to this report.

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Follow AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine