No choice: Military service will become mandatory for government officials
29 March 13:19
On March 25, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a bill on certain aspects of preparing citizens for national resistance (Reg.No. 13347). The decision was supported by 263 members of parliament, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
Instead of basic general military training, the bill calls for the introduction of a comprehensive approach—preparation for national resistance. The training will apply to students and pupils regardless of gender. Educational institutions will introduce a course titled “Fundamentals of National Resistance,” and the teaching of the subject “Defense of Ukraine” will be updated and improved. The creation of specialized Centers for Training Citizens for National Resistance, designed to conduct practical exercises, is also planned.
Shooting exercises will take place, in particular, at Armed Forces of Ukraine training grounds, certified shooting ranges, and on modern interactive simulators. Individuals whose religious beliefs prohibit the use of weapons will be able to replace the “armed” modules of the course with other training components. Individuals with disabilities or those who have lost their ability to work are exempt from practical training.
Additionally, the bill establishes a mandatory requirement for all men applying for civil service positions: to complete military service.
It is worth noting that the current provisions of the Law “On the Civil Service” stipulate the requirement to complete“basic general military training or military service”as a condition for first-time entry into the civil service for males under the age of 60.
However, the draft law that has already been voted on changes this wording to“military service or service in the military reserve, or service in agencies responsible for ensuring national security and defense, or military training under the reserve officer training program…”
It is also worth noting that the Main Legal Department had previously commented specifically on the amendments to the Law “On Civil Service.”
The statement noted that the draft provides for amendments to Part Four of Article 19 of the Law, under which a male under the age of 60 who has not completed military service or service in the military reserve, or service in agencies responsible for ensuring national security and defense, or military training under the reserve officer training program, except for persons deemed unfit for military service due to health reasons.”
However, the comment noted that the draft does not provide for amendments, in particular to Articles 8 and 9 of the Law, which would establish the competencies of civil servants requiring the use in the civil service of skills and abilities acquired exclusively during military service or service in the military reserve, or service in agencies responsible for ensuring national security and defense, or military training under the reserve officer training program.
In this regard, in the context of the proposed provision of the draft, it also appears questionable to admit to the civil service persons deemed unfit for military service due to health reasons, as well as persons who are not male, since, in accordance with Article 38 of the Constitution, citizens enjoy equal rights of access to the civil service, and pursuant to paragraph 7 of part one of Article 4 of the Law of Ukraine “On Civil Service,” one of the principles governing the civil service is ensuring equal access to civil service, which entails prohibiting all forms and manifestations of discrimination, the absence of unjustified restrictions or the granting of unjustified advantages to certain categories of citizens during entry into and service in the civil service,” the Legal Department emphasized.
Therefore, the draft called for“establishing uniform requirements for all citizens regarding entry into the civil service, in a systematic connection with the performance of civil service duties.”
Note. The civil service is a public, professional, and politically impartial activity involving the practical execution of the state’s tasks and functions. A civil servant is a citizen of Ukraine who holds a civil service position in a government body, another state body, its apparatus (secretariat) (hereinafter referred to as a “state body”), receives a salary funded by the state budget, and exercises the powers established for that position, which are directly related to the performance of the tasks and functions of such a state body, as well as adheres to the principles of the civil service.
