In Ukraine, after the adoption of the law on the mobilization of convicts, more than 5,000 prisoners have already submitted documents to become part of the Defense Forces. This approach is significantly different from forced mobilization in Russia and is based on voluntariness.
How does it work?
According to the head of the "Servant of the People" party Olena Shulyak, the mobilization of prisoners in Ukraine involves several important stages:
- Voluntary consent on the part of the convicted person.
- Approval of the military unit. The commander has the right to refuse if there is any doubt about the candidate's suitability.
- Medical and psychological examination.
Shulyak emphasized that the legislators expected that the mobilization resource would be about 10 thousand people who could be fit for service.
Particular attention is drawn to the fact that among the prisoners who expressed a desire to join the Armed Forces, there are also women. This demonstrates broad support for the idea of voluntary defense of the country among various categories of the population.
Olena Shulyak emphasized that mobilization in Ukraine is fundamentally different from the approaches used by Russia. In the Russian Federation, prisoners are mobilized forcibly, often sending them to the front without proper training or consent.
"In Ukraine, this happens with the voluntary consent of both sides: both the convict and the military unit," Shulyak said.
As of now, there is no exact data on how many prisoners are already involved in hostilities. As Shulyak noted, these processes are regulated through the court.
In addition to the adoption of the law on the mobilization of prisoners, the Cabinet of Ministers also allowed the reservation of clergymen from mobilization. At the same time, the former commander of the US Ground Forces in Europe, Ben Hodges, noted that the issue of rotation and demobilization of the military is a challenge that should be solved by the Ukrainian authorities together with society.
