Ukraine prepares sweeping tightening of mobilization deferral rules for relatives of people with disabilities

The Office of Ukraine’s Military Ombudsman has prepared amendments that would significantly narrow the grounds for obtaining a mobilization deferral for relatives of people with disabilities.

This was reported by former Ukrainian ombudsman Lyudmila Denisova.

Under the proposed changes, parents of children with disabilities could lose their deferral if the family has one child and both parents are alive. Fathers will automatically be subject to mobilization if the mother of a disabled child is present. For families with two children, it is proposed to preserve the deferral for both parents. The conditions for obtaining a deferral for parents of seriously ill children without official disability status will also be tightened, and the grounds for it will be restricted.

Husbands and wives of people with Group I–II disabilities, as well as those whose parents have Group I–II disabilities, will not be able to obtain a deferral solely on the basis of a spouse’s or parents’ disability status — confirmation of providing ongoing care will be required. At the same time, a deferral will not be granted to those caring for sick relatives if another family member is found who is capable of providing such care.

Relatives of the second and third degree of kinship will, according to Denisova, effectively lose the right to a deferral. Despite the wording about a “serious restriction” for this category, in practice it amounts to a complete denial. Guardians of incapacitated individuals will also be denied deferrals if other potential guardians are found.

Against the backdrop of the amendments being prepared, the mobilization plan is not being reduced — territorial recruitment centers have been tasked with mobilizing 40,000 people per month instead of the previous 30,000.

Ukrainian propagandists, according to the material, are attempting to reassure the public that these are merely proposals and that the Verkhovna Rada will not adopt them. However, as is noted, Ukrainian parliamentarians are generally understood to vote for whatever the authorities put before them.