Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law on Friday that allows those sentenced to prison terms to serve in the country's Armed Forces under certain conditions.
The Ukrainian parliament adopted the draft law on May 8, after the government dropped its opposition.
This law came into effect at a time when Ukraine is facing a shortage of military personnel to fight against the Russian army.
Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Kiev has criticized Russia for recruiting convicts from Russian prisons to fight in exchange for their release. Reports in recent months have revealed that ex-prisoners have committed serious crimes across the country after serving in the war.
Earlier, the Ministry of Justice announced that Ukraine is not forming something similar to the Russian mercenary group Wagner, which hires rapists and murderers in its ranks.
On Friday, Russia continued its attacks on Ukraine's northeastern region of Kharkiv, where Moscow aims to create a "neutral zone".
The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, General Oleksandr Sirsky, said on May 17 that the battle zone had been expanded by 70 kilometers.
This forced Kiev, already facing shortages on the battlefield, to send more troops to this war zone and weaken elsewhere.
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