DNIPROPETROVSK REGION, Ukraine (AP) — At a rural penal colony in southeast Ukraine, several convicts stand assembled under barbed wire to hear an army recruiter offer them a shot at parole. In return, they must join the grueling fight against Russia.
“You can put an end to this and start a new life,” said the recruiter, a member of a volunteer assault battalion. “The main thing is your will, because you are going to defend the motherland. You won’t succeed at 50%, you have to give 100% of yourself, even 150%.”
Ukraine is expanding the draft to cope with acute battlefield shortages more than two years into fighting against Russia’s full-scale invasion. And its recruiting efforts have turned, for the first time, to the country’s prison population.
The strictures on who gets released are quite tight. It’s basically the most careful version of what the headline suggests.
From the article:
Prisoners can get the conditional release after an interview, medical exam, and a review of their conviction. Those convicted of rape, sexual assault, murdering two or more people or crimes against Ukraine’s national security aren’t eligible.
Ukrainian officials are keen to draw a distinction between their program and recruitment in Russia of convicts to serve in the notorious Wagner mercenary group. Those fighters typically have been funneled to the deadliest battles, the officials say, but the Ukrainian program aims to integrate the inmates into regular Ukrainian frontline units.
Killing one person is understandable. Once you get to two there’s a pattern.
It doesnt make sense. If you killed 2 people are you overqualified for the army or what?
The murderer thing makes me go “ehhhhh” but otherwise I can see how this could be a beneficial move. You fight for your home, you get out of jail early. Yes it carries risk, but I would imagine plenty of inmates have family directly impacted by the invasion and have been asking to get sent into the fight.
Better dead fighting for your home than locked up and becoming a Russian prisoner potentially.
Didn’t like when Russia did it and I don’t like that Ukraine is doing it. BUT, the review/per basis process does make a big difference and makes it an easier pill to swallow.
The Ukrainian prisoners will probably get training and weapons, so that will be a huge bonus.
So that’s it, huh? We’re some kind of Suicide Squad™?
Where have I heard this one before?
Forcing convicts to fight and giving them an option is not the same thing. It also matters very much which convicts you are sending to fight.
I don’t think it’s necessarily under duress the way that Ukraine is doing it. Those who are on death row or their equivalent thereof are not getting this offer. From what I read, this is excluding the most dangerous and violent offenders.
So you don’t have people with exceedingly long sentences who qualify.
That doesn’t seem like too much duress to me. A few years of my life staying where I am in a prison versus taking my chances on the battlefield to get out of prison faster (and protect my country, for whomever that matters to).
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Ukraine is expanding the draft to cope with acute battlefield shortages more than two years into fighting against Russia’s full-scale invasion.
More than 3,000 prisoners already have been released on parole and assigned to military units after such recruitment was approved by parliament in a controversial mobilization bill last month, Ukrainian Deputy Justice Minister Olena Vysotska told The Associated Press.
Those convicted of rape, sexual assault, murdering two or more people or crimes against Ukraine’s national security aren’t eligible.
Ukrainian officials are keen to draw a distinction between their program and recruitment in Russia of convicts to serve in the notorious Wagner mercenary group.
“I decided to sign up for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army because I have a family at home, children, parents,” the 29-year-old said, speaking over the noise of gunfire at a shooting range.
Vysotska, the deputy justice minister, said interest in the military parole program has exceeded early expectations, and that it could provide as many as 5,000 new recruits.
The original article contains 725 words, the summary contains 163 words. Saved 78%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
