Ukraine is looking set to copy Vladimir Putin's tactics and recruit prison convicts as part of their effort to bolster the army in the face of a renewed Russian onslaught.
The Ukrainian parliament passed legislation yesterday whereby prisoners with less than three years left on their sentences will be granted parole in exchange for joining the army.
The legislation will have to be approved by President Volodymyr Zelensky before it becomes law.
It is stipulated however that those convicted of rape, sexual violence, crimes against national security, serious corruption or of murdering more than two people will not be included as part of the legislation.
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|Prisoners with less than three years left on their sentence will be granted parole in exchange for joining the army
The legislation read: "It’s no secret that the mobilisation resource of our enemy is huge, and therefore we should use all available opportunities to fight back [against] armed aggression.
“Some of these people are motivated and patriotic citizens who are ready to redeem themselves before society on the battlefield.”
According to deputy minister, Olena Vysotska, around 26,000 convicts would be elligible for this scheme.
This comes as Ukrainian MPs recently rejected a proposal that would have allowed soldiers to leave the military after 36 months of service.
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|The legislation will have to be approved by President Volodymyr Zelensky before it becomes law
Many soldiers have already been fighting since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022 - more than two years ago.
The head of a prisoners' rights group has criticised this new legislation, referring to the unclear timeframe for the convicts' service in the armed forces.
Oleh Tsvily said: "We don’t know if they’re meant to fight until the war ends — which could mean longer than their sentence."
Ukraine has also recently lowered the age of mobillisation to 25, decreasing it from 27.
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|Many soldiers have already been fighting since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022 - more than two years ago
The move to recruit convicts marks a U-turn for Ukraine, which has sharply criticised Russia's use of prisoners in the war.
Putin's forces have been handed a boost in recent months as a deadlock in Congress meant that US aid to Ukraine slowed down.
Russia is expected to launch a new large-scale offensive later this year.