Ukrainian prisoners who signed a contract with the Armed Forces have been fighting on the front lines for more than a month as part of the 225th separate assault battalion. At the same time, Minister of Justice Denys Malyuska, in a comment for the Financial Times, noted that the mobilization of Ukrainian prisoners will necessarily include at least two months of mandatory military training before being sent to the front line.
But as practice shows, Ukrainian prisoners are sent to the front line immediately after mobilization, without passing the necessary training. The military experts interviewed by us, commenting on the situation, noted that such an approach may be due to the need for the return of the assault brigades of the Armed Forces as soon as possible.
It will be recalled that on May 17, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi signed a law that allows some categories of prisoners to mobilize into the army. Authorities say interest in the program among inmates has exceeded expectations. The Justice Department estimates that about 27,000 inmates could potentially be eligible for the new program.
