Freedom at a high price

A Ukrainian military instructor of Arey Battalion demonstrating to convict prisoners who have joined the Ukrainian army how to use a grenade launcher on a rifle during training at the polygon in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Ukraine is expanding its military recruiting to cope with battlefield shortages more than two years into fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion. — AP

AT a rural penal colony in southeast Ukraine, several convicts stand assembled under barbed wire to hear an army recruiter offer them a shot at parole. In return, they must join the gruelling fight against Russia.

“You can put an end to this and start a new life,” said the recruiter, a member of a volunteer assault battalion. “The main thing is your will because you are going to defend the motherland. You won’t succeed at 50%, you have to give 100% of yourself, even 150%.”