Ukraine war: Kyiv lawmakers back bill allowing prisoners to join army amid manpower shortage, fresh Russian advances
- Kyiv has recently U-turned on the plan amid fresh Russian advances on the battlefield
- Only prisoners with under three years left on their sentence can apply
Ukraine’s parliament on Wednesday passed a bill that would enable some prisoners to fight in the armed forces, as the nation faces a critical shortage of manpower on the front lines.
Long-opposed to the measure and having criticised Moscow’s mobilisation of prisoners to fill its ranks, Kyiv has recently U-turned amid fresh Russian advances on the battlefield.
The legislation would need to be signed by the chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada and President Volodymyr Zelensky before coming into force.
“The parliament has voted ‘yes,’” MP Olena Shuliak, head of Zelensky’s party, said in a Facebook post.
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“The draft law opens the possibility for certain categories of prisoners who expressed a desire to defend their country to join the Defence Forces,” she said.
