The Kyiv Independent launches YouTube series
Skip to content
Edit post

Parliament passes mobilization bill in first reading

by Elsa Court and The Kyiv Independent news desk February 7, 2024 1:37 PM 2 min read
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on August 23, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Andrii Nesterenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, supported the updated bill on mobilization in the first reading, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak reported on Feb. 7.

Ukraine's government hopes to update the legal framework around conscription in order to ramp up mobilization in 2024. To become law, bills must be passed by parliament in two readings and signed by the president.

The government submitted a new draft of the mobilization law to parliament on Jan. 30, more than two weeks after withdrawing its initial, contentious version.

The first version proposed, among other things, to restrict the rights of those who evade military registration and service. Such restrictions included a ban on traveling abroad and making transactions with movable and immovable property.

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."

Ukraine struggles to ramp up mobilization as Russia’s war enters 3rd year
As Russia’s full-scale war approaches its third year and looks ready to drag on for several more, one topic is dominating the discussion in Ukraine: mobilization. From regional capitals and small villages to the front lines of the east, from the media, the workplace, and the family, Ukraine’s

Additionally, military personnel will be granted annual leave in installments for up to 15 days during martial law. Military personnel released from captivity will be given an additional leave of 90 days before returning to the front if they are willing to do so.

Regarding military training, newly mobilized recruits will undergo mandatory military training for two to three months.

The bill also proposes to abolish mandatory conscription for all citizens aged 18-24 and instead introduce five-month military training. Citizens can choose when to undergo this training.

Chief Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Feb. 6 that the revised draft law on mobilization still contains provisions that violate Ukraine's Constitution.

However, he then had an "urgent meeting" with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and said he concluded the draft law should be adopted.

Revised mobilization bill seeks to reinforce conscription in Ukraine in 2024
Ukraine’s leadership is seeking to kickstart a mobilization campaign to replenish the ranks in 2024. For that, it needs an updated legal framework. The government submitted a new draft of the mobilization law to Ukraine’s parliament on Jan. 30, more than two weeks after withdrawing its initial, con…

News Feed

5:58 AM

Russian attacks on Sumy Oblast injure 8.

Russian forces attacked 14 communities in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast on Oct. 3, injuring eight people throughout the day, the regional administration reported.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.