On May 8, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a bill allowing the mobilization of certain categories of convicts into the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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The leader of the Servant of the People party, Elena Shulyak, described how it will work on the official website of SN.
The law prohibits the mobilization of those convicted of serious crimes, such as premeditated murder, rape, sexual violence, as well as those who received sentences for crimes against national security.
The restrictions also apply to officials convicted of corruption.
However, according to Shulyak, in the final version of the law, conditional early dismissal for service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine was allowed for those who committed unintentional murder (with the exception of those who committed such a crime while intoxicated or under the influence of medications).
As Shulyak clarified, the mobilization of prisoners is possible only by court decision and must be a voluntary decision of a person, subject to the consent of the commander of the military unit.
The prisoner must be suitable for service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine due to his mental state and health. There should be just over three years left before the sentence expires.
Prisoners who have more than three years left to serve their sentences, as well as those sentenced to life, will be rejected immediately without the right to review, reports the BBC Ukrainian Service.
Former prisoners will serve in special units, and they will be monitored by the commanders of the military unit where they are sent.
If those dismissed for service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine commit a new crime, the unserved portion of the previous sentence will be added to the punishment imposed under the new sentence.
For evading a contract, such persons face imprisonment for a period of five to ten years. The law provides that the contract of such military personnel will expire with the completion of a special period of service or the announcement of a decision on demobilization.
Such military personnel will not be granted leave.
Let us remind you that 279 deputies voted for the adoption of the law (with 226 required to make a decision).
People’s Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak notes that deputies partially removed corruption risks from the bill, in particular, they took away the right to mobilization from prison for those who were convicted of particularly serious crimes (including murder and rape), as well as for former deputies and some famous corrupt officials. .
Previously, only the Russian authorities were actively involved in the mass mobilization of prisoners to the front. According to media reports, which have since been repeatedly confirmed by various sources, the founder of the Wagner PPK, Yevgeny Prigozhin, resorted to this practice for the first time back in 2022, while prisoners were sent to the front without changes in Russian legislation.
After the death of Prigozhin and the end of Wagner’s participation in hostilities in Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defense began recruiting prisoners into the army.
Source: Racurs
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