Military service: is it possible to serve at the place of residence
20 June 2024 18:00
The law on mobilisation, which came into force on 18 May 2024, changed some aspects of military service. Today "Komersant Ukrainian" looked into whether it is now possible to do military service in Ukraine at the place of residence.
The previous version of the law on mobilisation defined categories of citizens who could serve only at their place of residence. These categories included:
- women and men with three or more children under the age of 18;
- single parents raising children under 18 on their own;
- guardians and foster parents of children with disabilities;
- women and men with a minor child with a disability.
Under the previous version of the law, these individuals could be called up for service only with their consent and only at their place of residence.
If a citizen did not belong to these categories at the time of mobilisation, but his circumstances changed, he could apply for a transfer. To do so, he had to provide documents confirming the need to change his place of service.
According to the new version of the law on mobilisation, some clarifications have been added regarding persons liable for military service with the right to deferment. For example, the list includes persons who have a spouse from among persons with a disability of group III due to cancer, the absence of a limb, hand, foot, one of the paired organs, mental disorder or cerebral palsy. In addition, family members of the second degree of kinship of a person with a disability of group I or II are also entitled to a deferral if they are engaged in the permanent care of such a person. The law also considers third-degree family members if there are no first- or second-degree family members.
According to the new version of the law, these categories, along with persons with disabilities during martial law, may be recruited for contract service. There is no longer a restriction on service “only at the place of residence”.
