Today, the Verkhovna Rada has taken several steps towards conscripts and persons liable for military service
9 January 2025 18:14
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has supported draft law No. 12076 on amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Military Duty and Military Service,” which significantly simplifies the procedure for registering conscripts and modernizes the system of registration in general. This is reported on the website of the Parliament, "Komersant Ukrainian" informs.
As explained by the Ministry of Defense, from now on, 17-year-old male citizens will be able to register for military service in two ways: through the Conscript’s Electronic Office using electronic identification or by visiting the territorial center for recruitment and social support in person.
Another important change is the abolition of the commission for military registration of conscripts and the initial medical examination. Instead, medical examinations will become mandatory immediately before being sent for basic military service and before the start of practical training in basic general military training, which will be introduced in higher education institutions in 2025.
The draft law also defines valid reasons for the impossibility of registration, including
illness of the conscript
natural disasters;
residence in the temporarily occupied territory or in a war zone;
other circumstances that make it impossible to identify electronically or to come to the MCC and JCC in person.
The law pays special attention to the issue of military registration of women.
“Those of them who have expressed a desire to do basic military service will be registered as conscripts at their own request. Upon completion of their service, they will be registered as persons liable for military service also at their own request,” the Defense Ministry emphasized.
The ministry also drew attention to other important changes enshrined in the law:
– the military rank of “recruit” will be assigned to privates who are performing basic military service until the end of basic military training. After basic military training, they will be awarded the military rank of soldier/sailor;
– enlistment for military service under the contract of privates of Ukrainian citizens from among servicemen in basic military service and persons aged 18 and older who have not performed military service will be carried out only on condition that they have completed basic general military training;
– commanders of military units are granted additional powers to call up reservists and persons liable for military service on the day of their voluntary arrival at military units.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the approved changes are aimed at optimizing the system of military registration of conscripts and adapting it to modern conditions, which will make the process more efficient and accessible to Ukrainian citizens.
Penalties for violators of military registration rules may be reduced
The Verkhovna Rada has approved in the first reading the draft law “On Amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses to Improve Mechanisms for Bringing Persons to Administrative Liability for Violation of the Rules of Military Registration and Legislation on Defense, Mobilization Training and Mobilization.”
According to the authors of the draft law, this improvement should, among other things, encourage violators of military registration to apply to the MCC and JVs to clarify their personal data in exchange for a financial bonus: the opportunity to pay a fine of 50% of the minimum amount for the administrative offense.
For example, an offense such as failure to update personal data within a certain period of time without valid reasons (Articles 210, 210-1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) entails an administrative penalty, i.e. a fine of UAH 17,000 to UAH 25,500. If the law is adopted, violators who apply to the TCC and JV to clarify their personal data will be able to pay half of the lower limit of the fine, i.e. UAH 8,500.
As an argument in favor of this decision, it is mentioned that in 2024, more than 6,000,000 citizens liable for military service did not update their personal data on time.
The purpose of this draft law is to fill the state budget through the voluntary payment of fines for committing an administrative offense, as well as to encourage persons liable for military service to update their data.
Those who left their units without permission were also encouraged
The Verkhovna Rada supported the extension of the deadline for voluntary return from the NWC. The new deadline for preferential return is March 1, 2025.
“The right to “quick return” and virtually without consequences for those who have been transferred to military units for service from January 1 to March 1, 2025. The commander will continue to have 3 days to reinstate him in service, as it was the case for the previous 2 months,” MP Solomiya Bobrovska wrote on her Facebook page.
She also warned everyone who thinks that the bill will be extended once again. According to her, this will not happen. Instead, in her opinion, the criminalization of the first sabotage is likely to return.
