Relations between Russia and Ukraine are still heating up. Russia is still invading Ukraine since Thursday (24/9). In order to maintain state sovereignty, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dared to release prisoners to be deployed against Russia. This strategy was carried out considering the limited number of Ukrainian troops.
Even though civilians and even government officials had joined the battlefield, their numbers were still far outnumbered by the thousands of Russian soldiers sent to attack.
So what criteria does Zelensky set in selecting prisoners who may be released?
In a speech in Kiev, President Zelensky said he was ready to release prisoners with military backgrounds or combat experience. Although this decision sounds morally deviant, Zelensky said that this is an opportunity for prisoners to make amends for their mistakes in the most commensurate way.
"Under martial law, Ukrainian citizens with real combat experience will be released from custody and will be able to make amends at the hottest points of conflict," Zelensky said in his speech.
Zelensky also underlined that this decision was indeed not an easy decision, but it was very important to do everything to defend the territory at this critical time.
"We have taken a decision which is not easy from a moral point of view, but useful from our defensive point of view. The key now is defense.”
In the same speech, Zelensky again appealed to the European Union to immediately accept Ukraine as a member. Although western countries have helped Ukraine by sending military equipment and humanitarian aid, Zelensky felt that Ukraine needed more help that it only deserved once it joined the European Union.
“We thank our partners for supporting us. But our goal is to be with all Europeans. And most importantly, be on an equal footing. I believe we deserve it," Zelensky said.
On the other hand, the Russian side continues to launch its aggression. Thousands of soldiers under the command of Russian President, Vladimir Putin, continue to launch missiles, send rockets to blow up cities in Ukraine. The capital of Kiev looks battered and left, the victims fell both from the army and civilians of Ukraine.
Russian troops targeted not only the capital Kiev, but also other cities such as Kharkiv and Kherson. Quoting from Ukraine's Interfax news agency, so far 2,870 Ukrainian soldiers and "nationalists" have died. Meanwhile, at least 15,000 people are staying in subway stations to protect themselves.