“20–30% of the total number of convicts in Ukraine will join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine”: Deputy Minister of Justice Yevhen Pikalov
The question of attracting convicts to the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has become one of the most ambiguous in the public discussion of the spring of 2025. For some Ukrainians, this decision is a forced but justified response to a long and exhausting war, a personnel shortage, and growing pressure from the enemy. For others, it’s a red line that touches on trust in institutions, the moral limits of punishment, and fears about who will stand next to the gun.
What seemed impossible a few years ago has become a reality today: thousands of people who served prison sentences are already participating in military operations. They live in dugouts, fly drones, risk their lives in the line of fire. At the same time, society has not yet had time to form a clear attitude towards this phenomenon. In the media there are bursts of discussion, in social networks there is a mixture of skepticism, indignation, support and fear. Yevhen Pikalov, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine admitted the scale, potential and complexity of this process, and clearly outlined both the numbers and the philosophy of the approach.
According to Pikalov, to date, more than 8,300 people who have previously served sentences have joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, about 1,000 applications of convicts are still under review. In addition, among those who have already mobilized, there are 100 women.
“Today, more than 8,300 convicts joined the ranks of the Armed Forces, another 1,000 applications are under consideration. We also mobilized 100 women.
If we talk about the potential of this initiative, according to our forecasts, about 20-30% of the total number of convicts in Ukraine can take advantage of this opportunity and come to the defense of the state.” he declared.
These data, the deputy minister notes, testify not only to the effectiveness of the already adopted mechanism, but also to the fact that a large part of people who are in penal institutions are aware of the importance of participation in defense.
Pikalov noted that it is not only about the replenishment of combat units. The participation of convicts in the war is also a way to return them to society through the ultimate form of responsibility – the protection of the Motherland.
“We consider this process not only as a way to replenish the ranks of defenders, but also as a mechanism for resocialization through the highest manifestation of civic responsibility. The Ministry of Justice and the State Security Service keep this issue under constant control, ensuring the transparency and objectivity of the consideration of each application.” he emphasized.
At the same time, each application is considered individually, the procedure includes a health check, an analysis of the article for which the person was convicted, behavior in places of punishment. No prisoner receives an automatic right — only within the limits and exceptions established by law.
According to Pikalov, the total number of convicts and persons taken into custody in Ukraine is 37,000. However, not all of them can be mobilized. It is only about those who do not have medical or legal prohibitions.
“They cannot be included in the ranks of the Armed Forces for terrorism, for corruption, sexual crimes, for crimes against the foundations of national security.” – explained the deputy minister clearly.
He also provided detailed statistics: 57% of all convicts in Ukraine are persons found guilty of property crimes, another 11% – under the article on illegal drug trafficking. It is these categories that are considered potentially suitable for participation in combat operations, provided that there are no additional prohibitions.
Pikalov reminded that the basis for the mobilization of convicts was the law adopted by the Verkhovna Rada in May 2024, which introduced the institution of parole for participation in the defense of the country. According to it, a person serving a sentence can be released early to complete military service. But only according to a clearly defined procedure, after the consent of the person himself, risk analysis and verification of all criteria.
“It is expected that the adoption of the law will ensure the creation of additional opportunities for staffing the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations, as well as provide additional motivation to persons convicted of crimes to correct and fulfill the duty of repelling armed aggression against Ukraine. This law, in fact, opened the way for a new approach to the execution of punishments: the state recognizes that in the conditions of a threat to national security, not all decisions can be usual. But at the same time, they should be transparent, substantiated and not cross the line of public trust.” – believes Pikalov.
Despite the restrained tone of the statements in the ministry, the reality remains complex. The majority of Ukrainians still do not have a formed opinion on whether it is acceptable to recruit convicts to the army. Someone sees logic in this: whoever is ready to atone has the right. Others fear loss of control, risks, cases of repeated aggression, loss of discipline.
Recruiting convicts into the army is one of those decisions that exposes the nerve of the modern Ukrainian experience of war: when the state changes traditional frameworks under the pressure of the front, and society does not yet have time to morally adapt to these changes. Pikalov’s words are an attempt to explain the logic of the state: yes, it is not easy; yes, it begs the question; but it is not illegal.
