Ukraine Releases Prisoners With 'Real Combat Experience' To Fight Russia, Defend Country

Ukraine will release some of its prisoners from custody to help fight against the Russian forces invading the country, officials said.

Ukrainian prisoners — particularly those with "real combat experience" — will be able to "compensate for their guilt in the hottest spots" of the conflict and struggle in their country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was quoted as saying by the Independent.

Anyone who can join the fight against Russia "must do so" as Ukraine dedicates "every minute" to fighting off the country's invaders, the head of state explained while he addressed the people of Ukraine Monday.

All sanctions against individuals who participated in Ukraine's "anti-terrorist operation" in the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk between 2014 and 2018 will also be lifted, Zelensky noted.

The decision to release the prisoners was difficult to make from a moral standpoint, according to Zelensky. However, he explained that it was crucial in terms of protection as "the key thing now is defense."

"When I went to the presidency, I said that each of us is the president. Because we are all responsible for our country. For our beautiful Ukraine. And now it has happened that each of us is a warrior. And I am sure that each of us will win," he said.

Zelensky also called on the troops of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to lay down their arms and leave Ukraine.

"Abandon your equipment. Get out of here. Don’t believe your commanders. Don’t believe your propagandists. Just save your lives," the Ukrainian president said.

Russia launched a multi-pronged attack on Ukraine Thursday under the pretext of demilitarizing its western neighbor.

Ukraine has not released figures regarding its military losses, but 5,300 Russian personnel were lost between the start of the conflict and Monday, according to the latest data provided by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (MoD).

Russian losses also included 191 tanks, 816 armored fighting vehicles, 29 aircraft and 29 helicopters, among many other vehicles.

Ukraine's decision to release prisoners was announced on the same day the country had peace talks with Russia, which ended with no signs of concessions, a report by Axios said.

The announcement also came as Ukraine increased the monthly salary of the servicemen in its military and security agencies by 30,000 Ukrainian hryvnias ($1,000), making the monthly pay of personnel directly involved in hostilities 100,000 Ukrainian hryvnias ($3,325).

Additionally, families of servicemen who died during the conflict with Russia will receive a one-time cash compensation of 15 million Ukrainian hryvnias ($498,980), which will be "distributed in equal shares to all recipients," according to the MoD.

"This is not done to say 'thank you.' This is done so that our defenders know that the country is grateful to them. The state must pay decently for this important work," Zelensky was quoted as saying by Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov Monday.