151 people who came into contact with the victim are under observation to prevent the spread of the deadly virus
world13 hours ago
Former car thief Bohdan Filonenko had a simple response for fellow inmates who criticized his decision to join Ukraine's military.
"I'm not going off to die," he recalled telling them. "I'm going to serve and change my life."
Filonenko, 32, is among thousands of Ukrainian prisoners who signed up under a new law granting them amnesty in exchange for army service.
Kyiv has struggled to recruit enough troops to fend off Moscow's full-scale war, which is grinding into its 30th month and showing no signs of ending.
In addition to overhauling the draft, authorities have also courted convicts like Filonenko, who is now training with the 57th Motorised Infantry Brigade, to boost their ranks with motivated men.
Filonenko and others interviewed by Reuters while training in the northeastern Kharkiv region said they leapt at the opportunity to fight.
Pavlo, who only gave his first name, had one year left to serve for assault but signed up the day after the new law was enacted in May.
"Why should some strangers come to my country and destroy my land?" asked the 46-year-old steely-eyed squad leader, who has already been wounded in the leg after a Russian drone dropped an explosive near him.
Under the new rules, prisoners will have their remaining sentences cleared if they agree to serve without leave until the end of the war. They would then be granted parole.
More than 3,000 ex-prisoners have joined various military units, the General Prosecutor's Office said earlier this month. Justice Minister Denys Maliuska said in May that up to 20,000 could be eligible.
Those convicted of certain offences, like the murder of two or more people and sexual crimes, are barred from serving.
Filonenko said he felt motivated after hearing of massacred civilians following Russia's occupation of two Kyiv suburbs early in the war.
Clutching his automatic rifle inside a hollowed-out building on the training ground, the repeat offender beamed while recalling his mother's pride. He said she did not believe he would be able to leave prison to join up.
"When I finally called and sent her a couple photos, then it became lighter on mum's soul."
151 people who came into contact with the victim are under observation to prevent the spread of the deadly virus
world13 hours ago
Her cheeky expressions and playful frolicking racked up millions of views and have lured thousands of visitors wanting to witness her antics
world1 day ago
China issues red alert, warns of gales and heavy rain
world1 day ago
Celebrity endorsements rarely carry enormous weight, but the hugely popular Swift is seen as being in a class of her own
world1 day ago
Brazil has been parched by a historic drought that experts link to climate change and which has sparked what authorities have called a 'fire pandemic'
world1 day ago
Generative artificial intelligence uses 30 times more energy than a traditional search engine
world1 day ago
SalamAir flight from Bangladesh's Chittagong was diverted to Nagpur Airport following a medical emergency
world1 day ago
The Dragon spacecraft landed in the ocean at 3.37am, a webcast of the splashdown showed, with a recovery team deploying in the pre-dawn darkness to retrieve the capsule and crew
world1 day ago