According to information circulating online, the new draft law on mobilization, which the Verkhovna Rada is preparing for the second reading, provides for the recruitment of persons aged 18 and over into military service.
Verkhovna Rada deputy Dmytro Razumkov, a former speaker of parliament and ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky, reported this on his Telegram channel. He also noted that the information was confirmed by a representative of the General Staff.
According to Razumkov, if the bill is adopted in this form, an 18-year-old who has completed basic military training or basic military service will automatically become subject to military service and may be sent to the front. He characterizes such a policy as a threat to the gene pool and the future of the state.
It should be understood that the final form of the law is not yet known. The initiative was adopted only on the first reading, and more than 4 thousand amendments have already been submitted. The relevant committee continues to consider them, which may take several more weeks.
In the first version of the bill, which was voted for on the first reading, there was no mention of the mobilization of 18-year-olds.
Young citizens are mentioned in the document only in relation to basic military training and basic military service.
The bill not only concerns new mobilization rules, but also addresses the issue of pre-mobilization training.
Instead of the previous conscription, it is proposed to introduce basic military training or basic military service. This does not involve mobilization or participation in hostilities, except at the voluntary request of recruits.
The duration of such training will be from three to five months. It can be completed at any time from 18 to 25 years of age.
Boys should be considered for military registration upon reaching the age of 17, as before.
Mobilization under the new bill is possible only from the age of 25 (compared to current legislation, where this age is 27).
The claim about the possibility of forced mobilization of 18-year-olds was refuted by the People's Deputy from "European Solidarity" Oleksiy Honcharenko. He reported that the relevant amendment was rejected by the relevant committee of the Rada, therefore the version of the law adopted at the first reading remains unchanged.
