Latest war in Ukraine: Ukraine to let murderers into army while prisoners offer freedom | World News

Ukrainian convicts are offered their freedom in exchange for their service in the war against Russian invaders, including the murderers.

Persons convicted of rape, sexual assault, murder two or more persons or crimes against the national security of Ukraine are not eligible.

Associated Press journalists visited a rural penal colony in southeastern Ukraine.

They saw several convicts gathering near a barbed wire fence to hear an army recruiter offer them a chance at parole.

“You can end this and start a new life,” the recruiter said.

“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%. »

The move comes as Ukraine expands its military recruitment criteria to address growing casualties, battlefield shortages and the need for rest for frontline troops.

And its recruiting efforts have turned, for the first time, to the country’s prison population.

Prisoners are eligible for parole after an interview, medical examination and review of their conviction.

Once selected, parolees are rushed to basic training in camps where they learn weapon handling and other combat fundamentals before joining their units.

More than 3,000 prisoners have already been conditionally released and assigned to military units after recruitment was approved by Parliament in a controversial mobilization bill last month, the deputy minister told the AP Ukrainian Justice, Olena Vysotska.

According to Justice Department estimates, approximately 27,000 additional 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 being released from prison,” Vysotska said.

Ukrainian officials, however, are keen to distinguish this from the Russian version of the program, which saw thousands of detainees join the infamous Wagner mercenary group.

These prisoners-turned-troops were sent en masse to the most brutal fighting, but the Ukrainian program aims to integrate the detainees into regular front-line units.

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