Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on May 17 signed into law a bill allowing for convicts under certain circumstances to serve in the armed forces as Kyiv deals with a military personnel shortage amid Russia's ongoing invasion. Parliament approved the bill on May 8 after the government dropped its opposition to the move. Kyiv has sharply criticized Moscow for recruiting convicts from prison to fight in the war in exchange for a release from their sentences. Reports in recent months say former prisoners have committed serious crimes across the country after they served in the war. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
UEFA To Rule After Kosovar Players Walk Off In Romania Amid Claims Of 'Racist' Chants
2U.S. Reportedly Allows Ukraine To Strike Russia With Long-Range Weapons
3How Does Marco Rubio, Trump's Pick For Secretary Of State, See The World?
4A Blood-Red Stripe: Russian Opposition's Anti-War Rally Shadowed In Advance By Controversy Over Flag
5No Smooth Sailing For Climate Activist Greta Thunberg In The Caucasus
6Russian Forces Reportedly Start All-Out Assault On Key Ukrainian City Of Kupyansk
7Ukraine Live Briefing: 3 Children Among Dead In Sumy, Odesa
8Putin Not Interested In Negotiations, Only In Ending His Own Isolation, Zelenskiy Says
9In Bulgaria, A Secret Russian Consulate Is Unveiled
10Peace Talks Brewing, Russia And Ukraine Jockey For Advantage -- On And Off The Battlefield
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
