Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced he is ordering the release of some prisoners to join the front lines of the Russian invasion, according to UniLad.
In a video address from earlier this morning, Zelensky has confirmed that prisoners with combat experience will be released and deployed to fight as part of Ukraine effort against Russia.
Zelensky has commented that while he was faced with a moral dilemma, he believes that ‘the key is defence now’. He added that those prisoners who wanted to take up arms would be assigned to the most intense areas of battle. Stating that it was an opportunity for them ‘to atone for their guilt’.
Aside from prisoners joining Ukraine’s ranks, hundreds of thousands military reservists and volunteers have joined Territorial Defense groups. Other units have also been tasked with defending Ukraine's major cities against Russian forces.
In his address, Zelenskyy continued to rally Ukrainians to fight back against Russian troops, and thanked Ukraine's western allies for their assistance.
