New Controversial Law Passed in Ukraine for Military Recruitment

Ukraine's parliament recently passed a new law about how the country selects new soldiers, after many months of delay and lots of changes to the original plan.

The law was needed because Ukraine's military wanted to recruit more troops, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This comes as soldiers have been working non-stop on the front lines since Russia attacked Ukraine. Many Ukrainian men have been avoiding military service.

The legislation, long-awaited and anticipated to be unpopular, saw prolonged deliberations among lawmakers. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed in December that the law was prompted by a request from Ukraine's military to mobilize an additional 500,000 troops.

The urgency for the law stemmed from the fatigue of soldiers who had been stationed on the front lines since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, a significant number of Ukrainian men had been evading conscription.

Against the backdrop of an escalating Russian offensive that severely damaged Ukraine's energy infrastructure in recent weeks, the parliament's decision was made amid ongoing Russian missile and drone attacks targeting infrastructure and power facilities across several regions. Notably, the Trypilska thermal power plant, the largest power generating facility in the Kyiv region, was completely destroyed in one such attack.

The new law introduces several changes to the existing conscription system, including expanding the authorities' powers to issue draft notices through an electronic system.

Initially, the military had estimated the need for 500,000 additional troops, but subsequent audits by Army Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and President Zelenskyy revised this figure downwards, recognizing the possibility of rotating soldiers from rear positions.

Former army commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi's dismissal from his post reportedly stemmed from disagreements over the mobilization issue.

The parliamentary defense committee's decision to remove a provision guaranteeing the rotation of servicemen after 36 months of combat from the draft surprised many lawmakers, as it had been a pledge of the Ukrainian leadership.

Lawmaker Oleksii Honcharenko expressed shock over the removal of the provision, speculating that the decision was likely influenced by the challenges of implementing such a rotation amidst the ongoing conflict with Russia. Ukraine is already grappling with a shortage of trained recruits capable of combat, and demobilizing frontline soldiers could deprive Ukrainian forces of their most skilled fighters.

In response to these concerns, the parliamentary defense committee instructed the Defense Ministry to draft a comprehensive bill on the demobilization of military personnel within the next eight months.

As tensions persist, Russian missile strikes damaged energy infrastructure in Kharkiv, leaving over 200,000 people without power. Additionally, in the Odesa region, Russian attacks claimed four lives and injured 14 others, while energy facilities in the Zaporizhzhia and Lviv regions were also targeted.