President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a new law on Tuesday, Aug. 4, granting former convicts serving under military contract equal rights to other military personnel, including annual and medical leave.According to the bill’s record on Ukraine’s parliament website, the Verkhovna Rada, draft law No. 15225 was registered on May 11 and passed by parliament on July 14 with 309 votes in favor, before being signed as Law No. 4931-IX.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“This law eliminates injustice against the military, who, after parole, stood up for Ukraine,” said Deputy Defense Minister Liubov Halan in a statement on the ministry’s website.What the new rights coverUnder the law, service members released on parole to serve under contract will be entitled to 15 days of paid annual leave after at least one year of service, along with financial assistance for health-related recovery.Leave may be split into shorter periods, though at least one stretch must last 10 consecutive days unless the service member opts otherwise.An additional leave allowance of up to 10 days will be available for family or other valid reasons.Medical leave, granted on the recommendation of a military medical commission, may now be taken at a service member’s place of residence rather than only at a medical facility or duty station, depending on the commander’s decision, according to Mezha.Those returning from Russian captivity will be able to request 90 days of additional leave without dividing it into parts, and women in this category will be guaranteed maternity leave.