Ukrainian convicts take up arms in bid for redemption

Ukrainian convicts Volodymyr Barandich (C) and Arthur Kachurovsky (L) and a guard (R) wait in a courtyard of the Boryspil penal colony outside the town of Boryspil, Kiev region, on July 4, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Artur Kachurovsky is one of thousands of Ukrainian prisoners who have taken up the offer to join the army and fight the Russians in return for a pardon.

The 27-year-old, who was jailed for theft, is being released on parole to join the army and would only be able to return home once the war ends.

"Maybe life over there will fix me, just a little bit, for the better," he told AFP in Boryspil prison near Kiev as he waited to be deployed.

With Russia's invasion dragging on into its third year, Ukraine is seeking to boost its critically stretched manpower, including with tougher draft rules and a law allowing inmates to fight.

Since the bill was passed in May, the justice ministry says more than 5,000 imprisoned men from across the country have applied to join up.

The law only excludes people convicted of the most serious crimes, including sexual violence, killing two or more people and serious corruption.

  'Prisoners took Bakhmut'

Earlier in the war, Ukrainian officials had mocked Russia for recruiting inmates into the ranks of the infamous Wagner mercenary group.

The practice drew comparisons with the drafting of gulag prisoners by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, who ordered criminals to atone for their sins in blood.

Ukrainian officials may recoil at parallels with Wagner.

But the analogy is popular among some inmates.

"Prisoners took Bakhmut. Unfortunately, not guys from our side," Kachurovsky said with a smile.

He was referring...