Ukrainian ex-convicts seek second chance in army service

By Volodymyr Pavlov

KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine (Reuters) - 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 invasion, 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."

(Reporting by Volodymyr Pavlov; Writing by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)