World
Ukrainian convicts freed from jail to fight on the front line
Around 3,000 former prisoners were given the option to trade jail time for a role in the Ukrainian army as the war continues.
Thousands of Ukrainian convicts have been freed from jail to bolster the war effort and fight against Russia on the battlefield during the ongoing conflict.
They were given the option of trading jail time for time fighting on the frontlines. It means that some 3,000 prisoners were released thanks to a new law aimed at boosting Kyiv’s fighting power.
That’s a significant figure, given that Ukraine’s prison population is around 42,000 in total.
The new recruitment law was approved by parliament in a mobilisation bill that took effect in June – and military leaders think the move can only be a good thing.
Over 30,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed during two and a half years of war and others are keen to continue the effort on behalf of their fallen countrymen.
“It’s no secret that in the third year of the war, there are not many motivated fighters among the new recruits. These [ex-prisoner] guys are mostly motivated,” a military instructor with the call sign ‘Chub’ explains. “Motivation gives them a chance to survive. For all these actions – for good defence, attack, assault,” he adds.
There’s other motivation for former prisoners too – like ‘Psycho’, a newly recruited military special forces soldier.
“The laws have changed a little bit – it’s good for us. We can be useful, clear our name, start a new life. Help those who need us at the front,” he says.
‘Psycho’ has been training for three days. He is from the Kegychiv community in the Kharkiv region. He was sentenced to six years for robbery but, in the end, served less than a year, deciding instead to go to the front.
Every ex-convict in the programme is treated in accordance with the Armed Forces’ charter and supervised by representatives of the Military Law Enforcement Service.
At a training ground in Kharkiv Oblast, an instructor is teaching recruits how to handle grenades. These future soldiers are part of the 57th Motorised Infantry Brigade – a group formed almost entirely of former prisoners.
This model will be replicated across Ukraine in the weeks to come as the war rumbles on.
After completing 40 days of training and coordination, all of the new recruits will join the rest of the battalion.
Prisoners not convicted of rape, sexual assault, murdering two or more people or crimes against Ukraine’s national security are eligible to participate.
“Very good guys are fighting there. I want to fight, that’s why I came here. Since 2014, I’ve been trying to get to this war, but I failed. I don’t see myself in civilian life. I’ve been looking for myself for a long time in my life and I think I found myself in the army,” a special forces soldier with the call sign ‘Snake’ enthuses.
One Ukrainian deputy commander believes this new opportunity allows prisoners, many who had little hope for a better life, to actively shape their futures.
“The people themselves – they want to change their lives for the better, so there is no need to take any radical measures at the moment. If they need treatment, they go for treatment, if they need examination, they go for examination,” the deputy commander says. “They are members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who have signed a contract. Therefore, they should be treated as military personnel.”
World
Investors brace for a bigger backlash from Middle East war
World
Tel Aviv analyst shelters from 30 missile sirens in 48 hours, says Iran ‘won’t recover’
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The past 48 hours in Tel Aviv have been unlike anything seen before, a leading security analyst has said, as sirens blared amid missile threats following Operation Epic Fury and U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran.
“We are facing a biblical event — nothing less,” Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital, speaking from his shelter in the city.
Like many Israelis, Michael said he had spent hours in reinforced rooms during the ongoing barrage, adding that he was “very experienced in this.”
“But this all requires time and determination, and I do hope that Trump will also have them both,” he said, speaking shortly after the president released a video message stating that the military operation would continue “until all of our objectives are achieved.”
Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system over Tel Aviv. (JACK GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)
“Trump is the only one who can make the change — and that change will impact the entire region and the international order for years to come,” Michael added.
As of Sunday, Tel Aviv remained under a state of emergency following Iranian missile attacks that caused casualties and widespread damage.
According to The Associated Press, Iranian missile and drone strikes have killed approximately 11 Israeli civilians and wounded dozens more in retaliation for the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.
Shrapnel from missile impacts damaged at least 40 buildings in Tel Aviv, and authorities reported at least one death in the area from falling debris.
The Philippine Embassy in Israel confirmed the death of a Filipino national after a missile strike hit Tel Aviv on Saturday.
TOMAHAWKS, B-2 STEALTH BOMBERS AND ATTACK DRONES POUND OVER 1,000 IRANIAN TARGETS IN 24-HOUR BLITZ
People take shelter as Iran launched missiles and drones towards Israel following the US-Israeli attacks. ( Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“We enter our shelter once the siren is heard and stay there until the Home Front Command announces that we can leave,” Michael said.
“Usually, it is about 20 to 30 minutes — unless there are further sirens during our stay. Since yesterday morning, it has happened around 30 times.”
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog also visited an impact site in Tel Aviv Sunday, delivering a message of resilience.
“The people of Israel and the people of Iran can live in peace. The region can live in peace. But what undermines peace time and again is terror instigated by this Iranian regime,” Herzog said.
EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE SAYS US STRIKES MARK ‘BEGINNING OF THE VERY END’ FOR REGIME
Israeli emergency service officer walks past building debris at the scene of a Iranian missile attack. (Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP via Getty Images)
Following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and roughly 40 senior Iranian officials, Iran formed a provisional leadership council.
Iran named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i to lead roles.
“The Supreme Leader did not complete the necessary groundwork regarding his own succession,” Michael added.
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“Pezeshkian will face very troubling challenges due to their heavy losses, severe disruptions to control and command systems, and the massive bombing and attacks across Iran, including Tehran,” he said.
“Even if this regime doesn’t collapse, it will never be able to reconstitute itself, recover or return to its previous position,” Michael added.
World
Israel FM says Europe too divided, slams Spanish PM
Israeli minister Gideon Sa’ar said Europe “does not have unified position” on what role it should play in Iran as European ministers sought to establish a joint approach Sunday.
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As Israel and the United States conducted a joint military strike on Iran, leading to the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Europe was kept on the sidelines.
EU member states did not participate in the operation and, in some cases, they were not informed prior as it is customary among strategic allies.
Asked whether Israel sought to keep Europe on the margins, Sa’ar said internal divisions within EU member states had kept them out of critical exchanges of operational details, unlike the United States, which the minister described as his country’s greatest ally.
“In Europe, you have all kinds of approaches,” he told Euronews. “You have countries like the Czech Republic which is strongly supporting this operation and then you have Spain, which is standing with all the tyrants of the world.”
On Saturday, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez was among the most critical voices in Europe, suggesting the US-Israeli strikes on Iran risk plunging the region into total war.
“We reject the unilateral military action of the United States and Israel, which represents an escalation and contributes to a more uncertain and hostile international order,” Sánchez said Saturday. The Spanish PM reiterated that message on Sunday.
“We urge for de-escalation and call to respect international law in all conflicts,” Sánchez added. “You can be against a heinous regime, like the Iranian regime, while also rejecting a military intervention that is unjustified, dangerous and outside of international law.”
Sa’aar said Israel considers the operation “fully justified” citing the right to self-defense from a regime that “has called for the destruction of Israel” and lashed at the Spanish prime minister for sending an “anti-Israeli, anti-American message.”
“Read the statement, they are standing with Iran!” he added.
When asked if any of his European counterparts had manifested an interest in joining the military operation or provide support on the ground, Sa’ar said he held multiple exchanges with European ministers over the weekend and suggested that “if others want to join, they will know have to convey the message.”
On Sunday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appeared to back regime change in Iran in line with Israel and the US, saying that the “risk of further escalation is real. This is why a credible transition in Iran is urgently needed” in comments on Sunday.
Sa’ar told Euronews said the strategic strikes and the elimination of Khamenei alongside top regime commanders could “create the conditions to weaken the regime enough to allow the Iranians to take their future into their own hands”.
“The future leadership of Iran should be determined by the Iranian people through free elections. Our only requirement is that whoever comes to power in Iran must not pursue the destruction of Israel,” he said.
Watch the full interview on Euronews from 8pm CET
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