“The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense asks to postpone submission of the demobilization bill until mid-March – MP says

The Ministry of Defense has requested a postponement until March 18 for submitting the draft law on demobilizing those currently fighting on the front lines.

This was reported by MP Oleksiy Honcharenko of European Solidarity on his Telegram channel.

“The Ministry of Defense is asking to delay the preparation of the demobilization bill until March 18! This is absurd! What were you doing until December 18? And why specifically March 18? Why not the 1st, 2nd, or 5th?” the MP questioned.

It should be noted that back in April, the Verkhovna Rada decided that the Cabinet of Ministers must submit the demobilization bill by December 11. However, this deadline was not met.

The original draft of the bill on tightening mobilization included a provision for demobilization after three years of service during the war. However, at the request of the Armed Forces’ command, this provision was removed from the draft.

Later, members of the Sluga Naroda party suggested that deputies refrained from including a demobilization mechanism in the law due to pressure from Western partners.

“Let’s be honest; this is rarely discussed, but I sensed it in my conversations with our Western partners. They were also closely following these debates and the populist attacks by certain political forces. And they honestly asked, ‘Are you planning to keep fighting? Because we’re helping you,'” said Yevheniya Kravchuk.