Almost 4,000 convicts join Army to defend nation - MP
A total of 3,823 convicted citizens have already deployed at the frontlines as part of the Ukrainian defense forces after signing a contract.
That’s according to MP Olena Shuliak, head of the leading Servant of the People party, Ukrinform reports with reference to the Verkhovna Rada Office.
"When we adopted the relevant legislation (regarding the voluntary participation of certain categories of convicts in hostilities, - ed.), we envisaged that the country could count on 5,000 to 10,000 mobilized persons from this category. As of today, we see that 3,823 convicts have already been released from prison and deployed at the frontlines," she informed.
The politician recalled that this is the first wave of convicts who joined the Armed Forces.
"We expect there will be more of them, as the effort to defend the nation requires more recruits," the deputy noted.
At the same time, Shuliak added that a few days ago, the Ministry of Justice said a first group of seven female convicts had signed for the Army.
In her opinion, these women set a positive example for other convicts.
"When we created the legislative framework, we did not distinguish whether it would be men or women. Anyone can sign a contract on equal terms," the head of the political party emphasized.
She recalled that the law envisages opportunities for convicts to hold various positions - from sergeant to officer, depending on qualifications, skills, and current needs of the Armed Forces.
The MP also noted certain issues as regards recruiting persons held in pre-trial detention centers.
She believes lawmakers should review the procedure that would allow recruiting suspects in criminal cases who still await court verdicts while being held in pretrial detention facilities.
"Perhaps, it is necessary to remove certain bureaucratic obstacles so that this procedure is not so slow, and to give more opportunities to those held in pretrial detention centers to join the Army to defend their Homeland," she emphasized.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, on May 17, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed off a law on allowing early release from prison for certain categories of convicts signing a contract to join the Ukrainian defense forces.