Insights on the mobilization in Ukraine: new draft law is out
This is what you should know if you or your country is helping Ukraine win the war against Russia
Shortly before the winter holidays, the most important document of the 2023 appeared on the website of the Verkhovna Rada - a draft of a new law on mobilization. This document (bill No. 10378) is going to radically change the lives of citizens in peaceful cities, and it is also an important signal that the situation on the frontline has become extremely difficult.
I spoke with people involved in the mobilization process and with some civil society actors who are concerned about this bill, and collected some insights.
Photo from president.gov.ua
From the first day of the Russian invasion, President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced martial law. By it, men of military age from 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving the country, with some exceptions. Later, certain categories of officials and members of parliament, including women, were banned from traveling abroad. To leave, they need to get special permission from specific ministries, the Presidential Office, or the parliament.
Students, fathers of three or more children, disabled people and close relatives of people with disabilities, men working in strategically essential enterprises, etc., were granted a deferment from conscription. According to officials, tens of thousands of men escaped abroad using fake documents or corruption. Thousands more likely left Ukraine through territories occupied by Russia and did not return to their homeland.
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