Mobilization of women and discharge after 3 years of service: details of the new draft law on mobilization in Ukraine have become known

Ukrainian MP Maryana Bezuhla detailed what is currently being prepared in a bill regarding changes to the mobilization process.

Bezuhla posted the corresponding information on her Facebook page.

It is noted that the conscription age for mobilization will be lowered from 27 to 25 years old. Women will be obliged to enlist in military records on par with men, undergo military training, and can be called up for service during wartime (voluntarily for combat positions).

Exemptions or discharge from service will be granted to:

• All individuals with disabilities.
• Those who have three or more children.
• If two military personnel have a child, one of them has an exemption and the right to discharge (either the man or the woman). Thus, if a woman decides to join military service, the man can receive an exemption.
• Families with a minor disabled individual.
• If an adult incapacitated child is disabled/spouse/parents of the spouse or husband of the 1-2 disability groups (the disabled person chooses who gets the exemption).
• Guardians of individuals with disabilities of the 1-3 disability groups, recognized as incapacitated by court order.
• Pregnant women and women on maternity leave.
• Only current Members of the Ukrainian Parliament (all former MPs are excluded), being elected as an MP is grounds for discharge.
• Women and men whose close relatives died or went missing in action during the war.

Exemptions from mobilization will be granted to:

• Applicants for the first higher education (under 30 years old).
• All scientists with academic titles.
• All full-time teachers.

An important update: The right to exemption will be lost for the police, the Bureau of Economic Security, and the penitentiary service.

The draft bill abolishes mandatory military service (those who were conscripts at the time of the declaration of wartime will be demobilized) and introduces a basic universal military training of up to three months for all citizens aged 18 to 25.

Local authorities’ powers regarding mobilization are significantly expanded.

During wartime, rights of those evading mobilization will be restricted (Bezuhla did not specify which rights are intended to be deprived, but earlier she inquired about opinions regarding revoking citizenship and seizing assets of conscripts who fled abroad). Bezuhla also stated that the National Police will be involved in mobilizing citizens and issuing summonses.

Those liable for military service will be obliged to:

• Provide residency information to the employer.
• Undergo a medical examination during mobilization.
• Independently appear at the territorial recruitment center to verify data.
• Continuously carry military identification during wartime.

There are ongoing discussions on where summonses will be issued:

• In territorial recruitment centers by military commissioners.
• At the place of residence by territorial recruitment center representatives, police officers.
• At the workplace by territorial recruitment center representatives, police officers.
• In public places by territorial recruitment center representatives, police officers.

The bill also mandates military command to:

• Enforce mandatory rotation: a fighter at the front line (“on zero”) should not exceed three months.
• Adhere to the dismissal procedure for conscripts.
• Implement rotation in territorial recruitment centers (not all) every 3 years.

A separate section in the bill will focus on demobilization procedures. The main innovation: the right to discharge can be obtained after 36 months (i.e., after 3 years) of service during wartime. Moreover, upon reaching 24 months, with 12 months in a combat zone, individuals can take a 90-day leave without division, but this will extend the period for obtaining the right to discharge. Alternatively, they can forego leave and resign after 36 months.

Bezuhla explained that this formula is introduced to prevent simultaneous discharge of military personnel.

“If tens of thousands are discharged simultaneously, the Russians will break through the front,” she wrote.

Additionally, discharge can be obtained prematurely based on the aforementioned grounds: disability, three children, maternity leave, etc.”