Adoption of strict military mobilization laws in Ukraine

After a failed attempt and more than three months of debate, Ukraine’s parliament approved a new bill that would give the government more power to mobilize people for war and punish deserting soldiers.

The bill, which needs the signature of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to become law, would allow military recruiting offices to sue people who evade conscription, Politico reported. The mentioned bill also increases the punishment for people who do not show up for service on time.

Furthermore, people who were previously exempted from military service due to disability or other medical reasons must re-examine and update their health information. Ukrainian men abroad are also required to update their contact numbers and addresses online.

Previously, according to Ukrainian law, soldiers could return home after three years of service. But it seems that the Ukrainian parliament has decided to remove this clause from the new laws. This action has provoked widespread anger among the soldiers who have been involved in the war for the last two years.

Ukraine’s army asked parliamentarians not to allow soldiers to leave the service; Because, according to them, this could “affect the bleak situation on the front line”. Dmytro Lazotkin, the spokesman of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, said on Wednesday: “We cannot weaken the defense forces at this time.”

In the same vein, last week Zelensky signed a bill to reduce the minimum age of conscription from 27 to 25 years to deal with the lack of manpower in the army.