Ukrainian convicts were released at a high price: joining the fight against Russia

DNIPROPETROVSK REGION, Ukraine (AP) — In a rural penal colony in southeastern Ukraine, several convicts gather under barbed wire to listen to an army recruiter offer them a chance at parole. In exchange, they must join the grueling fight against Russia.

“You can end all 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 won’t succeed at 50%, you have to give 100%, even 150%. »

Ukraine is expand the project To address acute shortages of personnel on the battlefield more than two years after the start of fighting against the full-scale Russian invasion, 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 manpower problems as Russia continues to reinforce its forces in eastern Ukraine and make gradual gains westward.

More than 3,000 prisoners have already been paroled and assigned to military units after such recruitment was approved by Parliament in a controversial mobilization bill last month, the vice-president told the Associated Press. Ukrainian Minister of Justice, Olena Vysotska.

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 come back from 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 war started he wanted to “do something for Ukraine” and have the opportunity to enlist. “Now it has appeared.”

Ukrainian soldiers on active duty are generally identified only by their first name or a telephone code, for security reasons. Many inmates at the Dnipropetrovsk penal colony have also asked to be identified only by their first names to avoid difficulties if they join the military.

Another inmate, aged 30, who goes simply 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 released on parole after an interview, medical examination and review of their conviction. Persons convicted of rape, sexual assault, murder of two or more people or crimes against the national security of Ukraine are not entitled to it.

Ukrainian officials are keen to distinguish their program from Russia’s recruitment of convicts to serve in the notorious Wagner mercenary group. Those fighters have typically been sent to the deadliest battles, officials say, but the Ukrainian program aims to integrate the inmates 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.

Although 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, parolees are rushed to basic training in camps where they learn weapon handling and other combat fundamentals. Training is completed later, once they join individual units.

Mykhailo, a parolee, took part in an obstacle course and said it was difficult to meet the physical demands after months of relative inactivity in prison – getting 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,” the 29-year-old said, speaking over the sound of gunfire 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