Ukraine's parliament approved a bill on Feb. 23 that changes the conditions for demobilization of conscripts, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted the bill on Feb. 22. According to the proposal, conscripts whose term of service expired during martial law and whose military service was extended beyond the established period are released from service to the reserve "within the terms determined by the presidential decree."
The parliament's National Security and Defense Committee added a provision to the bill that allows conscripts to "postpone further mobilization for 12 months," lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko said on Telegram after the committee approved the changes earlier on Feb. 23.
The bill was passed with 319 votes for and none against, Zhelezniak said.
The parliament on Feb. 7 supported a different, broader bill containing major reforms in conscription and military service in the first reading.
The updated bill sets out "transparent rules for the mobilization process, as well as necessary regulation of the rights of military personnel and conscripts."
The bill also specifies clear terms of service for the period of martial law, service exemption for people with all levels of disability, as well as a two-month reprieve for volunteers before the start of service to "resolve personal issues and prepare for mobilization."
More than 4,000 amendments to the bill have been submitted since its passing in the first reading.
Zelensky has previously said that mobilization reforms have to include provisions on military rotation and demobilization to provide relief to long-serving front-line troops.
Francis Farrell
(Updated: )
