Members of Parliament should soon resolve the legal uncertainty that allowed mobilisation of those under the age of 25. The Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence recommended that the draft law be adopted as a whole. What is the main problem and what is the fate of those who have already been mobilised at the age of 18-25? Komersant ukrainskyi
investigated.
on 3 September, the parliament approved draft law No. 11379 banning mobilisation under the age of 25 in the first reading. The document was supported by 295 MPs. However, this is only the first step towards resolving the legislative conflict. Despite the committee’s recommendation to approve the document as a whole, MPs adopted it only as a basis.
According to MP Dmytro Razumkov, the MPs made a mistake, despite the fact that it was immediately noticeable.
“When I was speaking from the rostrum of the parliament and said that the Rada was adopting a law that would allow mobilisation from the age of 18, Stefanchuk said that this was a lie. The President and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada said that Razumkov was lying, but even then we managed to remove some of the problems. We removed general mobilisation, which at that time could have been allowed by the law on mobilisation, which, unfortunately, was voted in the parliament,” Dmytro Razumkov
However, there are still some aspects that were also discussed in the inter-factional association “Smart Politics”. When the issue of limited fitness was removed, it became possible to mobilise from the age of 18, Razumkov says. “Those who have passed the military department are also eligible.
What will happen to those who were mobilised by mistake?
Draft law No. 11379 prohibits the mobilisation of people aged 18-25. If they have already been mobilised, they should have the right to be discharged. The draft law provides for amendments to the laws “On Military Duty and Military Service” and “On Mobilisation Training and Mobilisation”.
After the adoption of the draft law No. 11379:
- men who have been declared partially fit for service by 21 March 2024 and have not yet reached the age of 25 will not be subject to mobilisation. They can only be called up for service if they wish to do so;
- servicemen who have already been mobilised before reaching the age of 25 may be discharged if they do not wish to continue their service.
This decision was a response to numerous public inquiries and efforts to protect the rights of young people who had previously been declared partially fit for service.
Author – Anastasia Fedor