Ukraine’s parliament on Wednesday approved a law giving prisoners convicted of certain types of crimes the chance to join the army and fight against Russia in exchange for an early release from prison. The mobilization will take place on a voluntary basis and only prisoners who have less than three years remaining from the end of their sentence can propose themselves. Also excluded are prisoners who have been convicted of sexual assault or the murder of two or more people, but also former politicians and senior government officials convicted of corruption. Before officially coming into force the law must be signed by Ruslan Stefanchuk, president of the Ukrainian unicameral parliament, and President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to legislators, this measure could lead to the recruitment of 10 thousand people.
The mobilization of new forces for the Ukrainian army is a topic that has long been under discussion in the country, which divides the military, politicians and public opinion. Ukraine had so far opposed the conscription of prisoners into the army, a controversial practice widely adopted instead by Russia and in particular by the Russian mercenary group Wagner since the first days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 However, the Ukrainian army is increasingly short of soldiers, as well as resources, and military leaders have repeatedly indicated that 500 thousand new soldiers would be needed to provide replacements for those who have been on the front line for over two years and to respond to offensives. Russian. For this reason, in mid-April, after blocking it for months, parliament approved a law to reform the rules for the recruitment of civilians into the armed forces, for example lowering the conscription age from 27 to 25.
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