Olena Vysotska, Deputy Minister of Justice reported that already more than 3,000 prisoners have applied for parole for the purpose of mobilization to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This figure corresponds to the previous forecasts of the Ministry of Justice.
“This is more than three thousand people. This is what we predicted before the adoption of this law. We cannot say that all 20,000 people that we mentioned as potential will join. Because during previous surveys, about 4,500 expressed their desire. Now this the number will fluctuate”, – emphasized Vysotska.
Not everyone will be able to be mobilized
According to Vysotska, not all prisoners who expressed a desire to serve will be able to be mobilized. The law provides for restrictions for certain categories of convicts, and the state of health of the candidates is also taken into account.
“It is also said that the military medical commissions are doing their work and, of course, convicts may have socially dangerous diseases – HIV infection, tuberculosis or hepatitis, so this is also an exception for them to take part in this project“, – says Olena Vysotska.
Theoretical potential and realistic expectations
The mobilization potential of up to 20,000 prisoners was previously estimated, but the figure of 4-5,000 is more realistic. The main factor is the convict’s motivation to enter into a contract with the Armed Forces and receive parole.
The law provides for liability for evasion of service
The deputy minister emphasized responsibility for evading a contract with the Armed Forces after parole, which can range from 5 to 10 years of imprisonment. The Ministry of Justice has already started work on processing applications, holding military medical commissions and coordination with commanders of military units.
“Therefore, when we talk about numbers, about the number of convicts who would like to join, these are only preliminary data. Everything will be shown by practice! We have already started work on ensuring that those who expressed a desire to make appropriate applications, military medical commissions are now being held“, – says Deputy Minister of Justice Olena Vysotska
