Three years of reporting, funded by our readers — become a member now and help us prepare for 2025.
Goal: 1,000 new members for our birthday. Gift a membership to your friend and help us prepare for what 2025 might bring.
Become a member Gift membership
Skip to content
Edit post

Petition urging Zelensky to lower mobilization age limit to 50 reaches 25,000 signatures

by Kateryna Hodunova and The Kyiv Independent news desk September 2, 2024 2:59 PM 2 min read
A petition asking to reduce the upper age limit of mobilization passed threshold for presidential consideration
A soldier bows his head, as Ukrainian armored vehicles maneuver and fire their 30mm guns, as Ukrainian Armed Forces brigades train for a major counteroffensive against Russian troops, in the Donbas region on April 26, 2023. (Scott Peterson/Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

A petition asking President Volodymyr Zelensky to lower the upper age limit for mobilization from 60 to 50 to "improve the economic situation" in Ukraine has garnered over 25,000 signatures since it was posted on July 5.

Under Ukrainian law, an electronic petition to the president must receive at least 25,000 signatures within three months to be considered. There are 34 days remaining to collect signatures for the petition.

The petition's author, Andrii Azarov, did not explain in the description how reducing the upper age limit for mobilization would benefit Ukraine's economy amid Russia's full-scale invasion.

Some sectors of Ukraine’s economy are facing a labor shortage, as many workers are serving in the army, internally displaced, or have moved abroad to escape the war.

The problem has intensified in recent months due to a recruitment push and a new law requiring employers to maintain and share updated military registration records for employees.

As a result, more men are avoiding formal employment, where conscription officers can easily locate them, by moving into the "grey" market or stopping work altogether.

In June, a survey by the American Chamber of Commerce Ukraine of more than 100 of its members, including some of Ukraine's largest employers, found that 81% of respondents said that mobilization is affecting their business operations.

Ukraine's parliament adopted an updated mobilization law in mid-April to ramp up mobilization amid Russia's ongoing war. The new law simplifies the process for identifying eligible conscripts and includes additional penalties for those dodging the draft.

Another law, signed by the president just before the mobilization law was passed, lowered the minimum age of compulsory military service from 27 to 25.

After the new law on mobilization came into force in Ukraine on May 18, military-aged men were given 60 days to update their personal data so that the state could locate them. The deadline for updating data expired on July 17, 2024.

From May 18 to July 16, 4,690,496 military-aged men updated their data by the July 17 deadline, according to the Defense Ministry.

Ukrainian companies desperately need workers. There just aren’t enough
Supermarket shelves go unstocked. Metro trains run less often. Large companies are freezing whole divisions. Factory employees take on overtime shifts to meet production. Projects to alleviate Ukraine’s energy crisis have been delayed. Across nearly every sector, Ukraine’s economy is feeling the sa…
Three years of reporting, funded by our readers.
Millions read the Kyiv Independent, but only one in 10,000 readers makes a financial contribution. Thanks to our community we've been able to keep our reporting free and accessible to everyone. For our third birthday, we're looking for 1,000 new members to help fund our mission and to help us prepare for what 2025 might bring.
Three years. Millions of readers. All thanks to 12,000 supporters.
It’s thanks to readers like you that we can celebrate another birthday this November. We’re looking for another 1,000 members to help fund our mission, keep our journalism accessible for all, and prepare for whatever 2025 might bring. Consider gifting a membership today or help us spread the word.
Help us get 1,000 new members!
Become a member Gift membership
visa masterCard americanExpress

News Feed

5:50 AM

Crimean Tatar editor goes missing in occupied Crimea.

Ediye Muslimova, the editor-in-chief of a Crimean Tatar children's magazine, disappeared in Russian-occupied Crimea on Nov. 21. Local sources say she was forced into a vehicle by three men and is being detained by the Russian FSB.
7:59 PM

Muslim who fled Russia on his new life in Ukraine.

Ali Charinskiy is an activist and professional martial artist from the Republic of Dagestan who advocated for the rights of Muslims. The Kyiv Independent spent a day with Charinskiy in his new home, a southern Ukrainian city of Odesa.
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.