Ukraine is Increasingly Desperate, Penal Battalions Return, Citizens Given Rifles 

By ISAAC SERRATO 

Staff Writer  

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is trapped in a desperate situation. The Russians are invading Ukraine in a multi-front war, coming in full force from the north, east, south. Ukraine is trying to hold on as long they can, trying to pursue peace or cease-fire talks which went nowhere recently. 

Zelenskyy made the eye-turning decision to release prisoners with combat experience to help fight on the front lines to fight against the invading Russian army. On February 28, President Zelenskyy said “Ukrainians with real combat experience will be released from custody and will be able to compensate for their guilt in the hottest spots,” That’s right. Penal battalions have come back. Penal battalions were old military units made up of criminals given a chance at freedom if they served in combat in the most dangerous hotspots. The fact that Zelenskyy is releasing prisoners in order to fight back against Russia means they are desperate to throw troops to stop or at least to slow down the Russian army. 

Citizens are now being given guns, training and now forming militias. Ukraine’s government has passed laws allowing open carry among citizens with free rifles being handed out to the people in order to set up paramilitary groups in order to slow down the Russian military through guerrilla warfare. For years the Ukrainian military has been training the civilian population in case of invasion, now that training can come into use as civilians are now forming militias to defend their homes. 

The question remains, is it enough to defend Ukraine?