Thousands of Ukrainian Convicts Apply for Parole to Join Armed Forces Mobilization

Over 3,000 Ukrainian convicts applied for parole from serving their sentences to participate in the defense of Ukraine.

This was reported by Deputy Minister of Justice Elena Vysotskaya.

Those who volunteered to mobilize must enter into contract service in the Armed Forces.

“That’s more than three thousand people who applied. We predicted this before the adoption of this law. We cannot say that all 20 thousand people, whom we noted as having potential, will join. In previous surveys, about 4.5 thousand expressed desire. Now this figure will fluctuate,” Vysotskaya explained.

According to her, the Ministry of Justice understood “that there would be those who would like to mobilize, but the law would limit separate categories, so it cannot be said that everyone will get parole and conclude a contract.”

The Deputy Minister of Justice also noted that not all convicts who expressed a desire to join the army will be able to do this due to their state of health.

Military medical commissions will check convicts for socially dangerous diseases: HIV infection, tuberculosis or hepatitis. The presence of these diseases is the basis for refusal to mobilize.

Vysotskaya stressed that the key determination in the law is the desire of the convict and their motivation to conclude a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in order to receive parole.

At the same time, she noted that the law contains warnings in case someone suddenly considers the conclusion of a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine as an opportunity to go free, but not to fight.

“You need to understand that the law has certain provisions for such cases. The responsibility for evading the contract is very high, ranging from 5 to 10 years in prison. Therefore, anyone who wants to speculate on this topic can face additional responsibility and add up to 10 years in prison to their previous terms,” said Vysotskaya.

Recall that on May 17, 2024, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bill that provides for the voluntary mobilization of certain categories of prisoners into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the conclusion of a corresponding contract.

They will serve in separate units, and administrative supervision will be carried out by commanders of military units.