President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday signed into law a bill allowing some Ukrainian convicts to serve in the country’s military in exchange for the possibility of parole at the end of their service, a move that highlight’s Kyiv’s desperate attempts to replenish its forces after more than two years of war.
Parliament passed the bill last week, and political analysts were unsure whether Mr. Zelensky would enact it given the sensitivity of the matter.
The measure echoes a practice that Russia has widely used to bolster its forces and that Ukraine ridiculed at the beginning of the war.
Ukrainian officials have said the measure could allow up to 20,000 prisoners to be mobilized.
Mr. Zelensky also enacted a law on Friday that increases fines for evading the draft.
Persons:
Volodymyr Zelensky, highlight’s, Zelensky
Organizations:
Ukrainian, dodgers
Locations:
Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian