In Ukraine, they proposed tightening measures against draft dodgers and deserters

Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has proposed extending the kinds of restrictions used against people who do not pay child support to men who evade mobilization, as well as to servicemen who go AWOL.

This was reported by MP Vadym Ivchenko, a member of the parliamentary committee on national security.

According to him, a system of penalties for desertion and draft evasion needs to be created. He noted that child-support debtors currently face six types of restrictions—for example, their bank accounts can be blocked, access to loans can be limited, and other measures can be applied. Ivchenko believes similar restrictions could be applied to draft evaders as well.

In his view, this could also deter servicemen from leaving their units without authorization, since it would impose legal obligations and everyday-life restrictions—including on car use and driver’s licenses.

General mobilization was introduced in Ukraine in February 2022 and has been extended many times since. In January 2026, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said the number of people evading service reaches 2 million, and the number of servicemen who have left their units without authorization is about 200,000.

According to Oleksii Serediuk, a battalion commander in Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR), forced mobilization of men is being carried out in territories near the front line. He said his unit “pulled all the evaders out of their homes along the way,” and urged people not to listen to “rear-area provocateurs” who “will start whining” and expressing outrage about unlawful actions.