Ukraine parliament approves new mobilization law despite criticism from combat-weary troops – POLITICO

At the same time, lawmakers left the option of avoiding the project up to law enforcement, state police and government officials. Private and public companies can exempt employees from military service.

Ukraine’s parliament chose not to include in the bill a clause allowing soldiers to return home after three years of service, which was the standard policy before the full-scale invasion of the Kremlin in February 2022. The decision has sparked widespread outrage among those who have spent the past two years fighting Russian forces, leaving them abandoned and without hope of returning to civilian life or even enjoying a real vacation.

Soldiers already serving in the military are exasperated that the bill does not give them an end date, but at the same time leaves many legal options for new recruits to avoid being recalled or deployed, a declared Ukrainian soldier Yegor Firsov. said in a Facebook post.

“This ambiguity shows us that we are being fooled,” he said.

Ukraine’s military has urged parliamentarians not to allow the demobilization of soldiers, arguing it could impact the already grim situation on the front lines.

“Currently, we cannot weaken the defense forces,” Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Dmytro Lazutkin said on Wednesday.