Ukraine war: thousands of prisoners apply to join Kyiv’s army in return for parole, mirroring Russian scheme
- Ukraine is enlisting prisoners to help replenish the army ranks, with up to 20,000 being mobilised. Those taking part will have their remaining sentences cleared
- Ukraine, whose population of 38 million compares with Russia’s 144 million, has struggled to recruit enough troops, particularly to fight in frontline positions
In its quest to fill the dwindling ranks of its infantry, Ukraine has turned to recruiting prisoners to join the fight against Russia, and more than four thousand have applied so far.
Under a deal offered to inmates by the government, prisoners will have their remaining sentences cleared – regardless of length – if they agree to serve in the army without leave until the end of the war.
At that point they would be granted parole.
“My mother was in hysterics … I’ve been here for five years – a year left, and I’m going off to war,” one of those who signed up, Mykola Rybalka, said in the yard of his prison in Kyiv region.
Rybalka, who said he was in for theft, is one of 129 prisoners in a colony of 700 who have applied to join the military, according to the justice ministry.
“You know, five years behind these walls leave their mark. You’ve seen a lot and understood a lot. You’re not scared of anything any more,” he said.
