In Ukraine, there is talk of introducing compulsory military service for all citizens, following the example of Israel. This was stated by Pavlo Palis, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine for Defense Issues, in an interview with Bihus.Info.
Although the issue of women's mobilization is not currently a pressing one, the Bankova representative admitted that in the future the country should consider ensuring that every citizen — regardless of gender — completes at least a minimum period of service.
"As wild as it may sound now, perhaps we should study the experience of Israel. If a citizen is truly a citizen and claims to receive a position, education, and payments from the state budget, he must serve," Palisa said.
Palisa emphasized that there is currently no talk of forced mobilization of women. But he emphasized: in the modern army there are many functions that can be performed not only by men. This includes not only combat missions, but also analytical, technical, logistical, medical and other roles.
"This may be a minimum contract. But every citizen must have service experience - this is a matter not only of defense, but also of national responsibility," Palisa noted.
In Israel, military service is mandatory for both men and women, and serving in the army is a condition for accessing many career opportunities. The Ukrainian authorities have not yet announced their intention to introduce a similar model, but discussions on this topic are becoming increasingly heated.
At the same time, the public does not forget about another thing: the number of cases in Ukraine where those accused of corruption avoid sentencing by mobilizing for the army is increasing. Against this background, talk of mandatory service looks like an attempt to reformat the social contract without touching on the main problem - inequality in responsibility.
