Prisoners have recently been recruited into the Ukrainian military. They are not going to the front because of the amnesty, but to drive out the Russian aggressor.
This is what The Telegraph says.
The publication tells about a man named Alexander. He says he agreed to trade the prison cell for the trench for two reasons: the man wants revenge on the Russians who killed several members of his family, and after almost half his life behind bars, to change his ways.
The man was serving a sentence for robbery. Because of his decision, however, he is now undergoing shooting training at a training camp. In a few weeks, he and his new comrades will be trained and join the thousands of condemned volunteers on the front line. Oleksandr and the other prisoners are said to have joined the army in accordance with the new Ukrainian law.
"I don't feel any pressure to join the army. I just decided to change my life completely. I also have a great motivation: many members of my family died in Mariupol. "I like my choice because now, instead of lying on a prison bed, I can learn new skills and change my life," says the man.
Under a new proposal by the Ukrainian government, prisoners who join the army will have their remaining sentences revoked. They are released early if they agree to serve in the army without leave until the end of the war.
According to the Ministry of Justice, thousands have already agreed to go to war and recruits are already being trained. The Ukrainian brigades are ready to accept the convicts.
Ukraine's Justice Minister Denis Malyuska said last month that there was competition among military commanders to recruit prisoners "because there is a shortage of manpower, so they really want to have access to these people.
>Across the country, nearly 5,000 inmates have already agreed to volunteer for the program. The minister has already stated that he expects a total of between 10,000 and 20,000 prisoners to join the program.
The commander of the 2nd Assault Battalion, Dmitry Kuharchuk, said that the military at the front is expecting reinforcements, including from mobilized convicts, as there is a critical shortage of personnel. At the same time, he ruled out the creation of "punitive battalions", noting that in the case of his brigade, these people would be integrated into the units.
At the same time, Dmitry Balabukha, a 34-year-old commander of a tank company of the 32nd brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, who is now moving to a new officer position in an assault company of prisoners, notes that when communicating with prisoners, he immediately "takes off the pink their glasses" and explains that war is very dangerous. The military says that with good preparation, these mobilized men will be able to achieve a good result because they are morally prepared.