Several hundred fighters who were in custody, after being pardoned, are defending Ukraine with weapons in their hands from Russian invaders, said Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denys Monastyrsky.

"The pardon commission is now working… As far as I remember, we are talking about several hundred people who, after being pardoned, took up arms and went to defend Ukraine," he said on the air of the 1 + 1 TV channel on Wednesday.