Ukrainian ex-convicts seek second chance

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Ukrainian ex-convicts seek second chance in army service

Bohdan Filonenko rests during training with the 57th Motorised Infantry Brigade, near a front line. July 26, 2024. REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy

Former car thief Bohdan Filonenko had a simple response for fellow inmates who criticized his decision to join Ukraine's military.

"I'm not going off to die," he recalled telling them. "I'm going to serve and change my life."

He is among thousands of Ukrainian prisoners who signed up under a new law granting them amnesty in exchange for army service.

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