President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has submitted a draft law to the Verkhovna Rada on the duration of conscript service.
Draft law No. 11035 on amendments to Chapter XII "Final Provisions" of the Law of Ukraine "On Military Duty and Military Service" regarding the terms of conscript service has been published on the parliament's website.
It is noted that the document has now been sent to the Committee for consideration. The draft law has been identified by the President as urgent.
The explanatory note to the draft law states that its purpose is to regulate the possibility of discharging servicemen who have served the prescribed terms of regular military service during martial law in Ukraine.
"To establish that during the mobilisation announced by the decree of the President of Ukraine of 24 February 2022... regular military service personnel whose military service, as established by part one of Article 23 of this Law, expired during martial law and whose military service was extended beyond the established terms in accordance with part nine of Article 23 of this Law as an exception to the provisions of part nine of Article 23 of this Law shall be discharged from military service to the reserve within the terms determined by the decree of the President of Ukraine," the law says.
MP Oleksiy Honcharenko claims that the draft law may be considered tomorrow, 23 February.
What is happening to the law on mobilisation
- On 7 February, the Verkhovna Rada supported the draft law on mobilisation in the first reading. 243 MPs voted in favour. The Servants of the People party cast only 178 votes. The bill will still be amended for the second reading.
- The relevant parliamentary committee began considering the new draft law on mobilisation on 4 January. At the committee meeting, it was decided to remove the provision that would have allowed sending summonses by email. There was also a question about the drafting of people with disabilities - the Rada wants all groups of such people cannot be mobilised, as before.
- Finally, on 11 January, a conciliation board met, and afterwards, the head of the Servant of the People faction in parliament, David Arakhamiya, said that the draft law on mobilisation had been returned to the Cabinet of Ministers for revision.
- The new version was submitted by the government only on 30 January. The document provided for a ground for dismissal from military service 36 months after mobilisation, but this is only a ground, and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Office must give consent to dismissal. They decided to cancel conscription, but want to introduce compulsory military training.
- On 8 February, Arakhamiya said that the controversial provisions in the draft law on mobilisation would be finalised for the second reading. Currently, three issues are already being worked on: regarding people with disabilities and those who care for them; regarding postgraduate students; and regarding the blocking of personal accounts.