Ukraine is preparing for significant changes in the field of military registration and military service under the new legislation on mobilization. After a long discussion in the Verkhovna Rada, the final draft of the law may soon be considered.
Taking into account the current military realities, which reflect the situation at the front during the Russian aggression, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi emphasized the need to update mobilization mechanisms.
Previous attempts to reform military legislation could not be completed due to criticism and controversy. However, the new draft law introduced in January 2024 received the support of the people's representatives in the first reading.
During February and March, the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence considered more than 4,200 amendments to the draft law. Issues related to electronic military records, blocking of mobilization evaders' bank accounts, as well as conditions for graduate students and caregivers of persons with disabilities were especially hotly discussed.
Along with this, the law contains provisions regarding the possibility of demobilization after 36 months of service, reservation conditions from mobilization depending on income and tax contributions, as well as the mandatory presence of a military registration document and the use of the police to notify citizens of important messages.
During the Committee's work on amendments to the draft law on mobilization, several provisions were canceled or amended. Deputies announced some of the supported and rejected norms, which will be discussed in detail below.
Regarding the vote on the draft law on mobilization, at the end of March, the representative of the specialized Committee for National Security, Defense and Intelligence, Fedir Venislavskyi, announced the completion of work with all amendments, but some aspects still require clarification. It was also planned to hold a vote in the Committee itself.
On April 3, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk reported on the preparation of a comparative table for the second reading and expressed the hope that consideration of the draft law could begin at the next meeting.
As of Friday, April 5, there were no updates on the status of the document's consideration on the website of the Verkhovna Rada.
According to Roman Kostenko, secretary of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, it is planned to consider the draft law on April 10. However, according to him, the Committee has not yet made a final decision.
Regarding the right to postponement of mobilization, in the process of working on amendments, the specialized committee decided on the issue of postponement for conscripts, caregivers of persons with disabilities, and those receiving education.
The new draft law stipulates that persons with disabilities of groups I and II are allowed to have only one caregiver - a family member of the first degree of consanguinity.
After the discussion of the amendments in the final draft of the law, it will be determined that the right to deferment from mobilization is granted to persons who have:
wife (husband) I or II disability group; wife (husband) with III group of disability due to loss of limbs, one of paired organs, oncology, mental or mental disabilities, or if they have a minor child; one of the parents with a disability of group I or II, or one of the parents of a partner with a disability of group I or II, provided that the other persons who have to support them are also conscripts or persons with disabilities; for family members of the second degree of kinship of persons with disabilities of group I or II, who are their caregivers and are engaged in constant care (no more than one and provided that there are no other relatives of the first degree of kinship or their inability to provide care due to their own medical problems).
Students who receive full-time education and undergo consecutive training will not be mobilized.
Graduate and doctoral students, both on a budget and contract basis, will also be eligible for a deferral. It should be noted that the original draft of the law was intended to deprive post-graduate contract students of deferment.
The Ministry of Education will conduct a verification to ensure that the person is actually receiving a degree.
Acquiring a parallel education, such as a second or third higher education, or a multidisciplinary education, will not allow you to obtain the right to deferment.
Regarding online summonses and the conscript's electronic account, the initial version of the draft law provided for sending summonses through the electronic account. However, during the discussion of the amendments, this norm was abandoned, as well as the mandatory registration of the electronic office.
Registration of an electronic cabinet will be a right of Ukrainians, not an obligation. The functionality of the office will allow the conscript to update his data online without physically visiting the military commissariat. Other options will also be available, such as a personal visit to the Military Commissariat or to the Central Military Commission.
The new law may contain terms for updating personal data of conscripts. Yehor Chernev, a representative of the Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, previously noted that citizens have 60 days to update their data after the law enters into force.
It should be noted that on April 2, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a separate law on the launch of digital accounting documents and improvement of the electronic Register of conscripts "Oberig". On the basis of this register, the electronic office of conscripts will be launched (expected in the second quarter of 2024), it will be possible to obtain electronic military tickets and register the status of UBD online.
The first version of the draft law, which passed the first reading, provided for the introduction of strict restrictions for those who avoid mobilization. Among these restrictions were restrictions on driving vehicles, confiscation of funds and other valuables, as well as restrictions on the right to travel abroad.
However, during the discussion of the amendments, the specialized committee of the Verkhovna Rada on national security, defense and intelligence rejected the provision on blocking citizens' accounts, which caused serious indignation in society.
The ban on traveling abroad for those who avoid mobilization was also excluded, as this issue is already regulated by the current legislation.
The question of the restriction of the right to drive vehicles, which remains in question in the final draft of the law, remains unclear.
According to People's Deputy Fedor Venislavskyi, at first the committee considered the possibility of leaving only restrictions on the right to drive a vehicle for consideration by the Council. But during the discussion of the amendments, almost all of the listed restrictions were rejected or significantly modified.
The Council also emphasized that the responsibility for avoiding mobilization may be strengthened, but this issue will be considered by the Law Enforcement Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine after the final version of the draft law is adopted.
The new law will also apply to Ukrainians living abroad. They will not receive a summons, but it will be mandatory to obtain a military registration document when issuing a new foreign passport. However, a committee of the Verkhovna Rada rejected a provision that prohibited the provision of consular services to men abroad if they did not have military registration documents.
Earlier, Fedor Venislavsky noted that persons who are abroad will be given the opportunity to obtain a military registration document or to clarify their data remotely through an electronic cabinet or telephone connection.
