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Ukraine releases nearly 4,000 prisoners to help fortify army

Ukrainian Justice Minister Denis Maliuska signed the law allowing the mobilization of prisoners into the Ukrainian armed forces on May 17

LONDON, July 22. /TASS/. Some 3,800 prisoners have been released early in Ukraine to buttress the Ukrainian armed forces, The Guardian reported, citing the Ukrainian Justice Ministry.

According to the newspaper, a total of 5,800 prisoners expressed their desire to join the Ukrainian armed forces. Earlier, Ukrainian Justice Minister Denis Maliuska told the Financial Times that the Ukrainian authorities expected to recruit about 15,000 people into the Ukrainian armed forces after passing a law on the voluntary mobilization of prisoners.

He signed the law allowing the mobilization of prisoners into the Ukrainian armed forces on May 17. According to the document, only those convicted of crimes against the foundations of national security or related to terrorism, murder of two or more people, murder committed with particular cruelty or in combination with rape, and violation of traffic rules while intoxicated if it caused the death of several people will not be subject to mobilization. Rapists, pedophiles and persons convicted of particularly serious corruption crimes, murder of a law enforcement officer or a serviceman are also excluded.

Maliuska has long promoted the idea of mobilizing prisoners. He initially said that this would allow the army to recruit 50,000 more troops, but later he lowered his forecasts to 20,000. The justice minister also explained that the country’s authorities decided to adopt the law on involving prisoners in military service because of some complications and understaffing of the Ukrainian armed forces.

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