Representative: “The bill is abstract and unclear… it may be a violation of human rights.”
Minister of Defense: “Quick approval is needed to protect the government and military.”
Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) refused to consider a bill to amend the Military Service Act, which aims to lower the conscription age. This is because some of the punishment provisions may be unconstitutional.
According to foreign news outlets such as the BBC and Politico, on the 11th (local time), lawmakers in the Ukrainian parliament refused to consider certain punishment measures included in the amendment to the Military Service Act, saying they were unconstitutional.
Some lawmakers pointed out that the contents of the bill were not specific and clear, and it was also pointed out that it could be a violation of human rights. Opinions were also expressed that the military service period should be reduced from 36 months to 18 months.
On the other hand, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerou raised his voice on social networking services (SNS), saying, “This law is necessary to defend the government and all soldiers currently on the front lines,” and “It should be approved as soon as possible.”
The bill submitted to Congress on the 25th of last month lowers the lower limit of conscription age from the current 27 to 25, while restricting the rights of citizens to register for military conscription and avoid service. Some provisions caused controversy by restricting the ownership and disposal rights of property of military service evaders.
If the bill passes, Ukrainian citizens will be able to receive electronic notification for enlistment. As the number of volunteer soldiers decreases compared to the beginning of the war, the Ukrainian government is using stronger means of conscription.
Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a year-end press conference that “the military commander proposed mobilizing 450,000 to 500,000 additional troops.”
Previously, Minister Umerow also announced that male citizens aged 25 to 60 years old staying abroad would have to report for military service. Minister Umerow, who expressed this as an ‘invitation’, later drew the line that sanctions would not be imposed even if he refused to return to his country in order to avoid controversy.
The reason Ukraine is obsessed with additional conscription appears to be a move that takes morale into consideration as well as maintaining troop levels.
This is because new soldiers must be deployed to the battlefield so that troops who have been on the battlefield for a long time can return home. In a war that has entered its third year, the diagnosis is that the longer the initial troops remain in the unit, the lower the morale of the troops will inevitably fall.
According to the ‘Global Firepower Index’, the Ukrainian army is currently estimated to number 900,000.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.