The possibility of “alternative” military service in Ukraine disappeared after the introduction of martial law last year. But some Ukrainians still refused to take an active part in the fight against Russia, citing biblical principles or refusal of military service, and now they are threatened with prison, reports New York Times.

On the fifth day of the war, Mykhailo Yavorskyi visited the local military post not to sign up for battle against Russian troops, but to explain why he could not do it.

“Please forgive me, I can’t fight, I won’t shoot,” Ivorski, 40, told the recruiting officers.

“There is something else I can help you with,” he added.

He explained that he wants to support Ukraine, but according to “biblical principles”.

The officers did not budge, and he was later sentenced to a year in prison, along with several other Ukrainians who pleaded guilty.

While these cases are rare – and Ukrainians often see them as hidden pro-Russian sympathies – they highlight the fine line between duty and principle.

Yavorsky appealed the sentence, and so far only one person has served time in prison for not wanting to fight in the war.

Thousands of Ukrainians of draft age left the country to avoid participation in the war.

“I am not ready to kill another person for a piece of Ukraine, or a piece of New Zealand, or a piece of the United States,” Yavorskyi said. “I have different values ​​and I want them to at least be listened to.”