Lower thirds:

00:01 Report by / Rebecca Ritters
00:27 Natalia / Former prisoner
01:01 Elvira / Former prisoner
01:55 Mykola / 'Skval' Brigade Commander
02:44 Angelina / Prisoner
03:04 Natali / Prisoner
03:35 Natalia / Former prisoner

Script:

((Natalia shooting a gun during training))

Natalia swapped her prison cell for the front line in Ukraine. 
  
+++SOT Natalia, Former prisoner +++  
"It felt like a lottery ticket — a chance at a new life, to change myself. And I had plenty of time to think about it."
 
She was serving a five year sentence for theft – and was due for release in 2028. 

Then Ukraine passed a law allowing eligible prisoners to volunteer to fight.  
 
+++SOT Natalia, Former prisoner +++
"I wanted to sign up. The moment I heard it — yes, I want this."

Natalia applied three times before she was accepted.
  
+++SOT Natalia, Former prisoner +++  
"I think for me prison was quite a turning point — a period in which I re-evaluated my entire life." 
 
More than two hundred female prisoners – like Natalia – have taken up arms since the law passed in May 2024. 
 
For many, it offers a path for transformation. Like Natalie's comrade Elvira, who was serving a 7-year sentence for murder. 
 
+++ SOT Elvira, Former prisoner +++ 
"They're two different things. Coming out having served time or going to fight and being a soldier. It seems obvious to me that it's better to be a soldier."

Not every Ukrainian inmate qualifies.Those convicted of the most serious crimes, including the murder of two or more people, sexual offenses and treason, are excluded.

In exchange for service, - which lasts until the war ends -, their sentences are commuted. Those who survive the war, can return to civilian life - with a clean record (and a fresh start). 
 
+++ SOT Elvira, Former prisoner +++ 
"If you’re careful and attentive and listen to people here and learn what they teach you as far as how to conduct yourself properly — it’s actually quite a decent chance at life."  

That motivation is something their commanders say they see on the front lines.

+++ SOT Mykola, 'Skval' Brigade Commander +++  
"Better fighters than the [former prisoners], I haven't seen. They were super motivated from the start — freedom, money, becoming something in life. [WHITE FLASH for jumpcut] As fighters, they're outstanding."
 
And women’s participation is increasingly seen as essential. As the war drags on, Ukraine is struggling to meet mobilization targets— accepting prisoners is just one way the search for new recruits has widened. Officials say every addition bolsters the ranks. 

((Inside Women's Prison))
There are approximately 1,500 women in prison across Ukraine. And only a fraction meet the programme’s criteria.

But everyone we spoke to said the same thing: they want redemption.

+++SOT Angelina, Prisoner+++
"Either you get released, and there's a stamp on you that you're an ex-con - Well, however you look at it, that's just how it is - Or, you go in already as someone with a military obligation, you have more rights, more opportunities, more... For me, that plays a huge role too."

+++SOT Natali, Prisoner+++ 
"I reconsidered things, I rethought a lot, I want to start everything over. Well, and in order to start something over, I want to be useful to society in this way."

Both Angelina and Natali have been accepted into the programme and are awaiting the final approval from the authorities that they can join their units. 

((Back to Natalia))
Back on the frontline, Natalia had recently returned from her first mission - as a drone operator - which lasted ten days. She worked close to the ‘zero line’, acting as eyes for the infantry. 
 
+++SOT Natalia, Former prisoner +++  
"The sounds — sounds I'd never heard before. The whole sky was humming, because there were drones."

REFLECTIVE PAUSE
+++SOT Natalia, Former prisoner +++  
"We see each other — I sometimes stop in at the KSP, to pick up the commander or whatever, work-related — and I think they're satisfied with me. I'm satisfied with myself, first and foremost. I do this not for anyone else, but first and foremost for myself — because I take it seriously, to the maximum."

The war has opened an unexpected path for these women - one that is reshaping their lives beyond their past.

END