As of early April, more than 8,000 former convicts – male and female – have joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and about 900 more applications are currently being considered.
This was reported to Ukrinform by Yevhen Horobets, Head of the Department for the Execution of Sentences at the Ministry of Justice.
He recalled that after the adoption in May 2024 of the law that allowed parole for convicts for their participation in Ukraine’s defense efforts, the first batches of volunteers from among those released from prisons joined combat units in August 2024.
Mostly, the paroled soldiers joined the ranks of the 1st Separate Assault Battalion “Da Vinci”; 225th Separate Assault Regiment; 92nd Separate Assault Brigade; 93rd Mechanized Brigade “Kholodnyi Yar”; 95th Separate Assault Brigade; Third Assault Brirade, as well as some other special units that are part of Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces.
As Horobets noted, “this program gives people a second chance – an opportunity not only to atone for their guilt, but also to prove their loyalty to Ukraine on the front line, where every defender is needed.”
“We regularly interact with the command of the units where former convicts currently serve. This dialogue allows us to receive updates on the needs of the front – what skills, specializations, and competencies are currently in demand. On the other hand, we learn how long the training of our parolees will last, in what positions they will serve, and what attitude they will face. This is some really necessary information during recruitment in penitentiaries, so that convicts consciously make the decision to become fighters with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. To date, more than 8,000 men and women have joined the ranks of combat units, about 900 more applications are currently under consideration. Many of the former convicts have been granted departmental and state awards for their combat feats,” said Horobets.
Photo: Leadership of the State Convoy Service of Ukraine and the 1st Separate Assault Regiment “Da Vinci”
For his part, the Deputy Commander of the 1st Separate Assault Brigade “Da Vinci”, Dmytro Kulyk, emphasized that former convicts are fighting not just well, but really heroically, “both men and women”.
He also noted that the motivation of the military from among the former convicts is off the charts: “We probably saw this only in the first months of the full-scale invasion. That’s why we really take great care of the “special contingent”, by the way, all our fighters without exception.”
As the Department for the Execution of Sentences emphasized, a lot depends on the actions of the penitentiary administrations: “This includes organizing primary medicals, accompanying volunteers from among the convicts during these medicals in civilian health care facilities, conducting examinations with the participation of representatives of draft offices and combat units where former convicts expressed a desire to serve.”
It is also important to prepare paperwork for courts as quickly as possible. On the day the court makes a decision to grant parole, a former convict becomes a serviceman with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who has, with minor restrictions, the same rights and obligations as our other defenders, the agency recalled.
As reported, on May 8, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on the introduction of parole for convicts in case they are willing to take part in the Ukraine defense effort.
Title photo: parolees during coordination drills
Source: Over 8,000 ex-convicts join Ukraine Army ranks – Justice Ministry
