Justice Ministry: Over 3,000 Ukrainian convicts have applied to join military

More than 3,000 convicts have applied for conditional release to join Ukraine's Armed Forces, Deputy Justice Minister Olena Vysotska said on national television on May 21.

President Volodymyr Zelensky last week signed into law a bill permitting citizens convicted under certain charges to serve in the military.

The total number of recruited prisoners is affected by the law's restrictions on certain categories, their health, and the opinion of the commanders of the units where they can serve, Vysotska said.

The list of convicted citizens who are allowed to join the military does not include those convicted of premeditated murder, sexual violence, drug trafficking or production, and crimes against national security. The measure will also exclude lawmakers and top officials imprisoned for corruption.

"The desire of the convict, his motivation to sign a contract with the Armed Forces and then receive parole, is decisive in this law," Vysotska said.

Currently, prisoners are undergoing examinations at military medical commissions and seek the approval of the commanders, after which the documents on a particular person are sent to the court, Vysotska said.

"When we talk about 20,000 (recruited convicts), this is a very theoretical potential. In reality, it is 4,000-5,000. But we realized (that even this number) of motivated people... will help the Armed Forces. That is why we took this step," the deputy minister said, adding that all the figures are preliminary.

The proposal was first submitted to the parliament in March as part of Ukraine's efforts to replenish the ranks of the Armed Forces amid the ongoing war with Russia.

Ukraine recently updated the mobilization legal framework to ramp up draft efforts in 2024. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the new law on mobilization on April 16.

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