The Ukrainian head of government Denys Shmyhal presented two new laws to parliament for increased mobilization. Because of the ongoing Russian aggression, the mechanisms of mobilization must be “improved,” according to one of the two draft laws published on Tuesday night.
The military had demanded more personnel for the front. The starting age for reservists is now to be reduced from 27 to 25. This would give the Army immediate access to two additional cohorts, potentially more than 400,000 young men. The draft states that unfitness for military service that has already been issued should be checked again.
Electronic call-up notices
In the future, Ukrainians between the ages of 18 and 60 who are subject to military service will be obliged to be entered in the military register and to renew this data regularly. In the future, muster and call-up notices could also be delivered electronically to the registration address, regardless of the actual location, and not just in paper form as was previously the case. This would also mean that men abroad could be reached.
A second law is also intended to tighten the penalties for missing information in the military register. Ignoring summonses would result in immediate prison sentences instead of the current fines. Failure to comply with registration regulations could result in cars being confiscated, accounts being blocked and a ban on receiving loans. Ukrainians living abroad can only obtain new identification documents at consulates upon presentation of their military register entry, it said.
Veto not excluded
Changes can still be made to the bills. After the adoption, a veto by President Volodymyr Zelenskyj cannot be ruled out. He described more intensive mobilization as a sensitive question because of the costs. According to Zelensky, the army wants to draft up to half a million new soldiers. Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian war of aggression for more than 22 months.
