Ukrainian servicemen attend training on a shooting range in eastern Ukraine in March. Photo: EPA-EFE/YAKIV LIASHENKO
Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed an updated mobilisation bill on Thursday in an effort to provide the country’s military with a larger pool of recruits amid the ongoing war.
The bill, which must now be signed into law by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, was passed in its second and final reading with a majority of 283 votes, lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko announced on Telegram.
The bill mandates basic military training for men under the age of 25, which includes instruction in handling weapons and first aid. During wartime, basic military service will be three months, or five months in peacetime.
The bill also stipulates that those with disabilities and anyone previously granted a partial exemption on the grounds of minor disabilities or non-serious health conditions must undergo another medical examination.
It also mandates that all men aged 18 to 60 carry their military papers or exemption certificates with them at all times for official inspection.
The bill notably does not include a service time limit for soldiers mobilised in wartime, a contentious issue that was removed from the previous version of the bill.
Earlier this month, Zelensky signed a law that reduced the age at which Ukrainian men could be conscripted into the army from 27 to 25, increasing the recruit pool for the country’s military authorities.
