“This is more than three thousand people. We anticipated this before passing the law. We cannot say that all 20,000 individuals we considered as potential candidates will indeed join. In previous surveys, around 4,500 people expressed a willingness to join,” Vysotska said.

The Ministry of Justice acknowledges that while there are willing volunteers, the law restricts certain categories of convicts, meaning not everyone will be eligible for conditional release and military contracts.

Military medical commissions will screen the applicants for socially dangerous diseases, such as HIV, tuberculosis, or hepatitis, which are grounds for exclusion from the mobilization effort.

Vysotska also mentioned that the law includes provisions for those who might view the contract with the Armed Forces as merely a means for early release rather than actual service.

“We have already started working to ensure that those who have expressed a desire to join and submitted the appropriate applications now go through military medical commissions and meet with their commanders. Unit commanders will give consent for a specific person, and we will forward the materials to the court,” the Deputy Minister of Justice emphasized.

“The penalty for breaching the contract is very high. It ranges from five to 10 years in prison. Therefore, anyone who wants to do this may face additional punishment and add up to 10 years to their previous sentences,” Vysotska concluded.