Ukrainian lawmakers are proposing a bill that would allow prisoners to serve in Ukraine’s military and take on Russia on the front lines.
The first draft law, submitted to the Ukrainian Parliament on Wednesday, calls for the parole of prisoners to perform military service under contract during the period of martial law and mobilization, Army Inform reports.
This bill was approved on first reading with the support of 281 officials in the hope of strengthening recruitment and giving incarcerated people the opportunity to “correct and fulfill their duty to repel armed aggression against Ukraine” .
However, not all prisoners are qualified to mobilize.
Those in prison must undergo a mental health assessment and medical examination. They cannot participate if they are convicted of crimes such as terrorism, murder of two or more people, sexual violence, drunk driving with vehicular homicide, or crimes against national security.
A Ukrainian soldier from the Khartia brigade fires an AK-47 pellet gun from a trench during training as the Russian-Ukrainian war continues in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, February 7, 2024. Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images
“These changes make the state more stable and the army stronger against the enemy,” Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said in February. The bill has undergone numerous revisions since it was first submitted in December, and more are expected.
MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak told Reuters that to avoid corruption, additional changes would likely be made before the final reading.
The Ukrainian army is experiencing a dangerous shortage of soldiers available on the battlefield. It has struggled to maintain a strong position against a much larger Russian army, as more soldiers are wounded and killed while fewer potential replacements enter the recruitment process. The Ukrainian parliament took several steps this week to address this problem.
Lawmakers passed measures simplifying conscription in anticipation of possible mobilization, and demobilization plans that would have allowed soldiers to return home after extended deployments were scaled back by Ukraine’s parliament this week.
“It’s demotivating and demoralizing for the army,” one artillery soldier told CNN.
In addition to its main advantages in manpower, Russia also has an advantage in industrial capacity and war materiel. U.S. diplomatic and military officials said Russia had almost “completely rebuilt” its armed forces and had almost “pushed back” its capabilities from those with which it began the invasion, even after suffering heavy blows. losses.
Ukraine is now not only awaiting crucial aid from the United States, but it is also awaiting more recruits as the bill granting incarcerated people the opportunity to join the military moves through Parliament.
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