'Service is not slavery' — Protesters in Kyiv rally against harsh penalties for soldiers
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Kyiv's Independence Square the evening of Sept. 5 to protest parliamentary bills that would impose tougher criminal penalties on soldiers for disobedience.
"Service is not slavery!" the crowd chanted.
The protests target two bills under consideration in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament: draft laws 13452 and 13260. Draft law 13260, which parliament passed in the first reading on Sept. 4, effectively reinstates criminal liability for soldiers using illegal weapons.
Draft law 13452 increases liability for military personnel who disobey orders. It is currently up for consideration in parliament.
Protesters held signs that read "Repression is not discipline" and "We must protect those who protect us," among others. Participants called on the government to vote down the two laws, as well as establish clear terms of military service and appoint a military ombudsman.
The rally marks the second time this summer that Kyiv residents have taken to the streets to demand change. In July, Ukrainians staged mass protests after the parliament hastily passed — and President Volodymyr Zelensky signed — laws dismantling the country's independent anti-corruption agencies.
The protests began in the capital and quickly spread to cities throughout the country, lasting for several days before the decision was eventually overturned.
The movement drew comparisons to Ukraine's EuroMaidan Revolution of 2013 — also staged on Kyiv's Independence Square.
The central theme of the Sept. 5 protests is "no to military discrimination," according to one of the action's organizers, combat medic and veteran Alina Sarnatska.
"The approach of 'increase punishment and thus improve discipline' does not work," Sarnatska wrote on Facebook ahead of the protest.
"Attitude to the military is already and so extremely unfair, salaries in the back are humiliatingly low, terms of service indefinite. We need a military ombudsman law. This is a real mechanism for solving the problems in the military and protecting the rights of service members who risk their lives every day for our country."
