Ukraine frees thousands of prisoners in exchange for recruiting them for war against Russia

In a rural penal colony in southeastern Ukraine, several prisoners gather under barbed wire to listen to a Ukrainian army recruiter who offers them a chance at parole. In exchange, they must join the battle against Russia.

“You can put an end to this and start a new life”“The most important thing is your will, because you are going to defend the homeland. You won’t succeed with 50%, you have to give 100% of yourself, even 150%.”

Ukraine is expanding its recruitment efforts in the face of severe shortages of personnel on the battlefield after more than two years of fighting off the Russian invasion. And its recruitment efforts have, for the first time, targeted the country’s prison population.

While Ukraine has not announced any details on the number of troops deployed or casualties, frontline commanders have openly acknowledged that they are facing manpower shortages as Russia continues to build up forces in eastern Ukraine and advance westward.

More of 3,000 prisoners have already been released on parole and assigned to military units after parliament approved such conscription in a controversial mobilization bill last month, Ukrainian Deputy Justice Minister Olena Vysotska told The Associated Press.

The country has a prison population of about 42,000 people, according to figures submitted by the government to the European Union. About 27,000 inmates could be eligible for the new program, according to estimates by the Justice Ministry. “A lot of the motivation comes from (inmates’) desire to return home as heroes and not to return from prison,” Vysotska said.

Ernest Volvach, 27, wants to take up the offer. He is serving a two-year sentence for robbery in the penal colony in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine. He works in the kitchen, serving food in tin bowls.“It’s stupid to be here doing nothing,” Volvach said, adding that since the beginning of the war he wanted to “do something for Ukraine” and to have the opportunity to enlist. “Now it has come up.”