Overview: Ukraine wants to use prisoners in the army, Russia continues to advance | War in Ukraine

Ukraine is facing a shortage of troops. The Ukrainian parliament has therefore approved the voluntary mobilization of convicted criminals.

Criminals convicted of murder, rape, other sexual violence and crimes against national security are not allowed to fight. A Ukrainian parliamentarian confirmed this on Telegram. But if other prisoners have the desire to defend their country, they can join the army.

The Russians have previously used prisoners to fight.

Russia reports its forces have captured two more frontline villages in Ukraine. More villages have reportedly been captured in recent times. The Russian army seems to be succeeding in advancing further and further.

The Russians “liberated” a settlement in the northeastern Kharkiv region, among other things, the Defense Ministry said. Moscow recently concentrated its offensive in that area. The other village is located in the eastern Donetsk region.

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Four men have been arrested in India for recruiting Indian citizens for the Russian army in Ukraine. The CBI, the government’s investigative agency, reports that they are suspected of involvement in an international network of human traffickers.

The CBI said the network targeted “gullible youth” and promised lucrative jobs abroad. Local contacts and social media such as YouTube were used for this. The recruited Indians are said to have been trained under false pretenses for a combat role at the front.

At least 35 victims are known, says the CBI, which is trying to recover about 20 Indian citizens. Some victims are said to have been seriously injured.

One of the suspects is said to have been a translator for the network in Russia and another is said to have helped arrange visas and airline tickets. Two suspects worked in India as recruiters, the CBI says.

The agency states that other persons believed to be part of human trafficking are also being investigated. The arrests come two months after investigators raided thirteen locations in India.

Russia carried out air strikes in various Ukrainian regions during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. According to the Ukrainian Minister of Energy, the attacks targeted energy infrastructure in the cities of Kyiv, Poltava and Lviv, among others. Targets were also attacked elsewhere in Ukraine.

Governors of various regions report damage and fire, but no injuries or deaths. DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private electricity company, reports serious damage to equipment at three power plants.

The Ukrainian army reports that air defense systems in Kyiv and the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, among others, were activated.

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, more than fifty missiles and twenty drones were used by the Russians in the attack. Most of them would have been shot out of the sky. Russia itself has not yet responded.

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