Unlike the Russian system, however, these personnel are motivated, screened volunteers, many of whom serve with the elite Ukrainian 93rd Mechanized Brigade. ERR's Anton Aleksejev and Kristjan Svirgsden went to find out more, almost a year to the day since Ukraine passed a law to allow prisoners to serve.

While Russia sent convicts to the front from early on in the war, Ukraine only started to do so from May 8 last year, offering selected prisoners release in exchange for serving.

Whereas convicts sent by the Russian Federation to the Ukraine front were mainly used as cannon fodder, the 93rd Brigade carefully discerns which prisoners it will take and which not, effectively taking on prisoner-volunteers.

Ukrainian soldier "Validool" said: "I fought near Bakhmut. I have experience with those Wagner guys. I saw what kind of people they are. We also took some prisoners. The difference between them and us is like night and day. We only select those who want to come themselves. We only take those who are physically and mentally fit."

Another Ukrainian soldier, "Sabik," said the 93rd is an elite unit of volunteers who are also properly trained.

"If you're not ready, you won't be sent to the front, otherwise you'd be a danger to your comrades-in-arms. If you don't know anything, you're not needed there," he said.

Those going from being incarcerated to being in the military sign three-year contracts.

Another Ukrainian, called "Fööniks," said: "Different contracts are signed with prisoners. In the first year, the brigade that invited them is responsible for and decides for them. In the next two years, they can change brigades. When the contract ends, they are demobilized like everyone else."

Perhaps fittingly, the battalion in which many ex-prisoners serve is dubbed "Alcatraz" after the former, or if Donald Trump has his way, recommissioned, high-security prison off San Francisco.

One soldier serving with the Alcatraz battalion, part of the 93rd Brigade, who gave his name as "Kans," had been given five years' imprisonment for what could be called a taken without consent offense in relation to a vehicle.
"It so happened that I took a car without the owner's permission and, as they say, broke the law. I ended up in prison," he said.

"Kans" is much more experienced than most of the others; he fought as one of the "Cyborgs," in the defense of Donetsk Airport, May 2014-January 2015, early on in Russia's shadow war in eastern Ukraine, the precursor to 2022's full-scale and stalled invasion.

This made joining up a no-brainer despite what happened in the interim. "As soon as the law came into force, I decided to join the defense forces. I didn't even think twice because I was made for this. I immediately started demanding to be taken into the army. The enemy is advancing, and who should hold them back if not us? Instead of lying around in prison, I'd rather run here," "Kans" added.

"Sabik"'s crime related to smuggling. "I had some prohibited substances on board. I tried to drive through [the border checkpoint], but didn't make it to the other side," he said, adding he was hit with a nine-year prison sentence.

"I wanted to join the defense forces since the beginning of the full-scale war. Because of bureaucracy, it was a bit difficult, but now I'm here," "Sabik" added.

"Fööniks" said that none of that matters now, and that the people who came from prison to the front are all equal. "Everyone starts their path from zero. We forget their past and give them a new chance. We treat them as equals. They are motivated. They didn't come here by force, but of their own free will."

The Special Rifles Alcatraz Battalion is a penal battalion currently operating as part of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade fighting in the Pokrovsk, Kurakhove and Chasiv Yar. areas of the Donetsk region. The battalion consists of prison inmates who have volunteered to serve militarily, prematurely ending their sentences. Selection for recruits began in July 2024, and by August the battalion was engaging in missions. Its roster includes a Canadian woman medic volunteer.

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