Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine,CNN — Lurking in the bushes near Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine is a unit of men who have two things in common: The short amount of time they have served defending their nation and time spent behind bars.

The 15 infantry men of the 59th Brigade, part of the Shkval – or wind gust - battalion are former prisoners. Convicted of a variety of crimes, they see their service in defense of Ukraine as redemption and a chance at a new life without a criminal record.

The catch for prisoners is that they are contracted to the military until the end of the war. There is also a considerable financial incentive: Wages range from $500 to $4,000 per month, depending on time spent on the front line, according to the Ukrainian defense ministry.

CNN was granted exclusive access to these recently recruited prisoners last week, near the crucial Donbas town of Pokrovsk. The city has become a focal point in recent weeks as part of the nearly 600-mile line of contact that is desperately short of men, ammunition and ever encroaching better supplied and vast Russian forces.

Among the recruits is Vitaly, 41, a recovered addict and a father-of-five. He asked to be identified by first name only for security reasons.

Vitaly told CNN that he had served 10 years in prison for four different crimes, most recently for grievous bodily harm.

Perched on a tree stump, Vitaly mumbles: “My life was crazy. I grew up with bandits, as did all of our guys (in the unit).”

But by joining the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, he saw an opportunity.

“I need to turn the page of my life. My life was a mess. It’s better to be useful here, to be around brothers … and a completely different social circle,” he said.

He’s been in the trenches for three months following a short, 21-day training period. Vitaly has no regrets about his choice to join the army, but he said he was naive about what to expect.

“Life is hard here, it’s fun … but I didn’t think it would be this hard,” he said.

Life as an infantry soldier is particularly dangerous with casualties higher than other members of the military. Infantry soldiers are often exposed to Russian drone attacks and storming trenches as they traverse large expanses of land by foot.

Vitaly recalls a particularly brutal drone attack on a comrade.


Vitaly, 41, has five children and has served a total of 10 years for four different crimes, the most recent of which was grievous bodily harm. CNN “He was taken apart. It is so hard to watch… but what can you do? You can’t help. You need to leave them behind because half of the man is already gone,” he said.

In June, the defense ministry launched an initiative that gives prisoners the chance to serve in the army, in exchange for freedom after the war.

There are strict rules around recruiting prisoners into the army, however. Convicts who have committed rape or any kind of sexual violence are prohibited from joining. The majority of the ex-cons CNN met had been jailed for offenses such as robbery or grievous bodily harm.

The Shkval battalion told CNN that they’re making legal requests to allow prisoners who have committed murder to join their ranks, because they feel those inmates may possess the skills needed on the battlefield

Fear of escalation is being stated as the reason why US and European defense aid to Ukraine is slow, incremental, and often reluctant. This is the reason why NATO is unwilling to act according to its previously declared ambition: to stop ongoing conflicts that affect Alliance security.

The US and some European countries argue restraint when discussing support for Ukraine. They argue against providing certain military capabilities, to allow Ukraine to strike Russian territory or getting directly involved out of fear that the so-called “Russia-Ukraine War” might escalate into a conflict between Russia and NATO.

The argument does, however, not stand closer scrutiny.

While NATO speaks with one voice, it is also a consensus-based organization. Its policy, therefore, is based on compromises reflecting the views of its “weakest links”. They do not even necessarily reflect the majority views as all members can veto a decision that runs contrary to their policy or national interests.

Member states have vastly different perspectives on the scale and scope of the war and what is needed to end it. Past and present debates show that the countries that know Russia the best – the countries that remember occupation and oppression – argue for NATO to do far more. They do not buy into the fears fronted by some to reinforce the already Russian-induced fears


This is reflected in the ongoing deliberations about training missions in Ukraine, the calls to lift restrictions on the use of Western-made weapons against targets in Russia, and the debate about whether to shoot down Russian missiles and drones over Ukraine or not.

More telling, during the spring of 2022, several countries argued in favor of greater NATO involvement in Ukraine. Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia put forward a 10-point plan to save Ukraine. The Polish Prime Minister stressed that if this does not stop the war, then we must go further and protect Ukrainians.

The discord is also reflected in the US and German displeasure over the allies’ doing more than they envisioned, like donating main battle tanks, cruise missiles, and F-16s to Ukraine.

The need for consensus within the Alliance has created two contradictory “realities.” One is that NATO involvement will trigger an escalation of the so-called “Russia-Ukraine war,” and the other is that the war is already seen as a “Russia-Europe war,” and failure to stop Russia in Ukraine will escalate the war further.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 5:47 PM CET
BY VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA AND GABRIEL GAVINKYIV — Millions of barrels of Russian oil now have a green light from Ukraine to flow to the EU as part of a deal with Hungary, ending a months-long standoff over new Kyiv oil sanctions.

The deal will see Russian energy firm Lukoil, whose products are currently barred from entering Ukraine, sell its oil instead to Hungary's MOL energy giant, which can then ship it through Ukraine to the EU.

"The MOL company announced that they are currently the owners of the product transiting through Ukraine and we are happy with that," Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Tuesday, responding to a question from POLITICO. "This is not a Russian company, this is [the] MOL company that transits its product through the Ukrainian system."

Ukraine over the summer barred Lukoil products from crossing its borders, alarming Hungary and Slovakia, which both receive Russian oil via a pipeline across Ukraine.

In a statement, MOL said it will "take over ownership of the affected volumes of crude oil at the Belarus-Ukraine border" starting Monday.

Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs praised the workaround. "We welcome the solution coming from MOL. It is a technological solution," he said.

The proposal was initially revealed by Gergely Gulyás, an official in Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán's private office, who said last month that Budapest was pushing for the swap.

"As soon as we can sign the contracts with the Ukrainian side, they will take effect," he said, adding that it would cost an additional $1.50 per barrel to secure transit outside of previous agreements.

While Hungary initially claimed the Lukoil restrictions would cause a fuel crisis at home, the EU has repeatedly refused to intervene, saying oil flows have continued at prior levels. Meanwhile, EU countries expressed frustration that Budapest was effectively cashing in on Russian energy while the rest of the continent had to divest.

Hungary is allowed to import Russian oil based on a sanctions carveout it received two years ago. The exception was meant as a temporary measure, but Hungary has actually increased oil imports via the Ukrainian pipeline by 50 percent since 2021. MOL has also seen profits soar to record levels. Budapest, which is facing an economic crisis, has benefited from the hefty taxes the company pays.

Hungary and neighboring Slovakia also appear to be pushing for a similar agreement that would allow them to continue to import Russian gas via Ukraine when a transit contract expires at the end of this year.