From the front line. Convicts willingly join the Ukrainian army.

On April 10, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed the Law on the Mobilization of Certain Categories of Convicts, which came into effect in May. The detainees gained the possibility to sign a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and receive conditional early release.

The military not only approved this solution but even lobbied in its favor. Systematic recruitment of prisoners is conducted by dozens of formations. There is no shortage of volunteers. According to as of April this year, over 12,000 people from 26,000 serving sentences have joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Ukraine has opened the army to prisoners

Most commanders supported recruiting prisoners as early as 2022, because the Ukrainian army suffers from a chronic shortage of personnel – in February of this year, as experts from “The Times” claim, the military needed at least 250,000 soldiers. Moreover, military personnel did not consider the criminal past of potential recruits as an obstacle, because – according to Dmytro Kucharczuk, deputy commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade for psychological support – motivated and properly trained inmates could prove effective on the battlefield.

At the same time, the Ministry of Justice was working on a draft to counteract the stigmatization of persons serving prison sentences. “If ordinary people join assault brigades, prisoners can also be there” – commented Deputy Minister Olena Vysotska in an interview for Radio “Svoboda”.

In Ukraine, a climate has emerged conducive to adopting an appropriate law, whose draft was developed by deputies of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction with substantive support from the Ministry of Justice and the military. Initially, officials intended to create units composed solely of former convicts. They faced protests from commanders, who believed that recruits would adapt more quickly to military life if they joined existing formations, and their more experienced colleagues would serve as examples.

The law prohibits military service for convicts, among others, for sexual offenses, murder of two or more persons, treason, terrorism, death caused by driving under the influence, serious corruption cases, as well as for those addicted to alcohol and drugs and in conflict with prison administration. Recidivists are not disqualified, but serious infectious diseases, e.g., tuberculosis and HIV, are. The inmate can choose a unit, but its commander decides on his acceptance.

Recruitment consists of several stages. First – at the inmate’s official request – the prison administration agrees to start the recruitment process. Then the candidate appears before a medical commission. If deemed fit for service, they meet with visiting recruiters from the prison. The goal of the visitors is to eliminate those who desperately want to leave prison rather than serve the country. The final decision on the candidate is made by the unit commander based on the recruiter's report (in case of refusal, the inmate can apply for placement in other formations). Next, the administration submits a request to the court for early release. After receiving the decision, the prisoners sign a contract with the AFU and are sent to the unit, where they first undergo a 10-day adaptation process, followed by a 21-day military training, after which they are sent to the front, where they remain under administrative supervision for a year.

Within the first two weeks after the law came into effect, 4,564 out of 26,000 inmates submitted applications to join the army. Over about 13% of those serving sentences were allowed to sign contracts.

What does the recruitment of prisoners into the army look like?

The recruitment was initiated by the aforementioned 3rd Assault Brigade, which included a soldier nicknamed “Tocha,” sentenced to four years for serious bodily injury. He wanted to go to the front immediately after the war started and began sending applications requesting mobilization to various units, prison chiefs, and the Ministry of Justice. Due to the lack of legal solutions, he received negative responses. In May 2024, when the law came into force, he had two months left to serve. Despite this, he joined the AFU. “I did a lot of bad things in the past, now it’s time to do good” – he explained his decision to the journalists of Unian.ua.

Tocha thought a lot about how his commanders and new colleagues would treat him: “I expected only bad things. Of course, I knew they wouldn’t strip me naked and make me go into attack. I was afraid my past would cause problems. It didn’t happen. Everyone here is treated equally. […] If you do your duties well, you won’t hear a bad word. The most important thing is to cover your comrades, who will then cover you.”

Like most former inmates, Tocha did not turn 40. But there are also much older people, for example, a 58-year-old nicknamed “Frenchman.” His family comes from a certain occupied city in the Luhansk region, where the man worked in a mine for many years. He was arrested in Georgia because – as he told the portal Antikor.ua – corrupt police framed him. After extradition to his homeland, he began the recruitment process for the AFU.

Frenchman admits that life in the trenches at his age is exhausting. But he grits his teeth because he wants to take revenge on the Russians. “They came to us” – he says. He dreams of going to Paris after the war, where his wife and daughters currently live. He would like to take his 51-year-old friend nicknamed “Siawa,” whose criminal career began 35 years ago in Poland, where he was arrested for illegal possession of weapons. Since then, Siawa has almost continuously been in prison. But now he wants to regain – as he put it – “freedom, dignity, and the meaning of life.” He looks to the future with optimism, although he is prepared for the worst. Three weeks after meeting with journalists, Siawa fulfilled his dream of freedom but paid a very high price: after amputations of both legs and most fingers on his hands, he was deemed unfit for service and sent home.

Female prisoners at the front

About 230 female prisoners serve in the Ukrainian army. The disparity between women and men is largely due to the fact that only about 1,500 women are in Ukrainian prisons. Additionally, it can be assumed that not all units want to recruit them. This is suggested by the case of drone operator nicknamed “Kupo,” whose application was rejected by 46 formations. A 23-year-old convicted of a crime whose nature she did not disclose to the media, was accepted by the “Shturm” Battalion of the 59th Brigade, where – as they claim – she can be useful and contribute “to our great victory.”

Furthermore, prison officials try to convince women that joining the AFU means inevitable death and encourage “peaceful serving time.” Drone operators from the same unit, sisters Natalia and Elvira Kamieńskie (the first committed theft, the second murder), have encountered this. They ignored good advice because they did not want their children to be ashamed of their imprisoned mothers. “Now my ten-year-old son boasts that I am at war” – Elvira tells the “Deutsche Welle” journalists.

As drone operators, sisters Kamieńskie and Kupo go to the front line, where they spend 10 days searching for Russians hiding in the forest. Then they pass data to colleagues who destroy the enemy with FPV drones. Natalia claims that commanders are satisfied with her achievements. She is proud that after many months of service, she can share her experience with younger colleagues,

Natalia Kamieńska is not mistaken about her superiors’ opinions. Major Mykola Kriukov from “Shturm” says that better soldiers are hard to find. Also, Major Vitaliy Lytvyn from the “Rubezh” Brigade praises the inmates and regrets that “the recruitment of prisoners was not started earlier.”

Former prisoners fight but still have fewer rights

The law on the mobilization of certain categories of convicts discriminated against former prisoners. Unlike their colleagues, they did not have the right to annual leaves. If they were injured, after leaving the hospital, they were not entitled to leave or health benefits. Women did not receive leave for childbirth and after. There was no possibility of transferring from one unit to another; nor could a soldier with health deterioration perform work in another position. Promotions to higher military ranks were also blocked.

The rights of inmates were defended by lawyers from non-governmental organizations. On August 4, their efforts succeeded, although incompletely – the Verkhovna Rada adopted amendments to the law on inmate recruitment. Former prisoners gained the right to a 15-day leave, 90 days of rest after returning from captivity, and transfers between units. The condition is the completion of one year of administrative supervision. Women received additional days off for childbirth and the right to maternity leave.

Former convicts still do not have the right to burial in the Alley of Fame, where those who gave their lives for Ukraine rest. They accept their lower position because serving itself seems to them a privilege.

The post From cell to front. Convicts eagerly join the Ukrainian army first appeared on Krytyka Polityczna.