Ukrainian penal military units during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

In early 2024, Ukraine began to mobilize convicts into the Ukrainian Army as the leaders felt inspired by the fact Russia had allegedly been doing so earlier in the war. By 2 April 2025, over 8,000 convicts were reported to be serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces according to the head of the Department for the Execution of Sentences of the Ministry of Justice Yevhen Horobets.