Thousands of Ukrainian inmates are seeking to join the military, Kyiv said on Tuesday, following a decision by lawmakers enabling some categories of prisoners to join the armed forces.
The move echoes a policy in Russia, where tens of thousands of prisoners have been sent to Ukraine with the promise of amnesty and were killed in gruelling battles that produced few gains.
Ukraine is suffering critical ammunition and manpower shortages on the battlefield that have allowed Russian forces to advance on the eastern and northern front lines.
鈥楾his is more than 3,000 people. We predicted this before the adoption of this law,鈥� deputy minister of justice Olena Vysotska said, referring to the number of prisoners who have submitted applications to join the military.
She said authorities had identified 20,000 eligible prisoners and that of them, 4,500 had 鈥榚xpressed interest鈥� in joining. She added that the figure was likely to fluctuate.
Only prisoners with fewer than three years left on their sentence can apply. Mobilised prisoners are granted parole rather than a pardon.
Among those not eligible to serve include those found guilty of sexual violence, killing two or more people, serious corruption and former high-ranking officials.
Russia has recruited prisoners to serve on the front lines since the first days of its invasion, initially offering presidential pardons for six months鈥� service.
Meanwhile, more than 14,000 people have been displaced in recent days from Ukraine鈥檚 eastern Kharkiv region, where Russia launched a ground offensive on May 10, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.
The assault has seen Russian forces achieve their largest territorial gains in Ukraine in the last 18 months.
鈥極ver the past two weeks, fighting in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine has severely escalated,鈥� Jarno Habicht, the WHO鈥檚 representative in Ukraine, told a press briefing in Geneva, via video-link from Kyiv.
鈥極ver 14,000 people have been displaced in a matter of days, and nearly 1,89,000 more still reside within 25 kilometres of the border with the Russian Federation, facing significant risks due to the on-going fighting,鈥� he said.
He said the UN health agency was using these figures after speaking with local authorities.
鈥榃ith the worsening security situation, humanitarian needs in the region are growing, and growing fast,鈥� Habicht said.
The conflict in Kharkiv 鈥榟as significantly increased the number of trauma patients鈥�, he added.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Since then, more than 20,000 amputations have been carried out, said Habicht.
And 200 ambulances per year, on average, have been damaged or destroyed in shelling attacks, 鈥榙epriving the Ukrainian people of urgent care鈥�, he added.
The UNHCR voiced concerns that conditions in Kharkiv 鈥� already home to 2,00,000 internally displaced people 鈥� could become even more difficult if the ground assault and aerial attacks continue.
鈥楿NHCR, the UN refugee agency, is extremely worried about the worsening situation and resulting spike in humanitarian needs and forced displacement owing to the new ground offensive,鈥� spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo told the Geneva briefing.
She said the Ukrainian authorities had evacuated more than 10,300 people from villages in the Kharkiv region鈥檚 border areas, while others have left by their own means.
鈥楾he majority of the evacuees, who had to escape their homes with only a few belongings, are already highly vulnerable and include mainly older people and those with low mobility or disabilities who were not able to flee earlier,鈥� Mantoo said.
Those registered at a transit centre in Kharkiv city have been given basic relief items and advised on accommodation options.
鈥楾he vast majority of evacuees have expressed a clear wish to stay with family members or in rental accommodation and collective sites in Kharkiv and not move further from their homes, to be able to return when the situation allows,鈥� Mantoo said.
The United Nations鈥� 2024 humanitarian plan for Ukraine amounts to $3.1 billion this year. UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci said that it was thus far only 23 per cent funded.
Ukrainian aerial attacks killed a woman in the Russian border region of Belgorod and a man in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, officials announced on Tuesday.
