The Ukrainian Presidential Administration is set to propose changes to the legislation on the military service for men aged 18 to 25, according to Nikolai Schtschur, a military department advisor. Ukrainian news and analysis website Strana reported the development.
Schtschur clarified that the proposed changes would involve voluntary contracts for 18- to 25-year-olds, who are not subject to mobilization. Financial and other incentives will be offered, he said.
“It will be a range of changes both to the legislation and to the presidential decrees. We expect different levels of changes to documents. I think there will be a presentation in the coming days”Schtschur stated. “Now, while the technical details are being coordinated, something might still change. A working group, comprising representatives of the Defense Ministry, the General Staff and public organizations, has been working on this. The concept has been developed.”
Earlier, the First Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration, Colonel Pavlo Palissa, had stated that the work on an initiative to attract Ukrainians aged 18 to 25 for the army, who are not subject to mobilization, was in its “final stage.”Palissa also mentioned that this would apply to those who are eligible for deferment or who were discharged after the adoption of the mobilization law. He described the project as a “fair contract”and emphasized the need to change the recruitment system as a whole.
Ukraine has been in a state of general mobilization since February 24, 2022. In the past spring, the rules were tightened: the enlistment age was lowered from 27 to 25, the category of partially fit was struck out and all men between 18 and 60 were required to carry a military ID.
Against the backdrop of the Russian military’s advance, particularly in the Donbas region, the United States has been urging Kyiv, led by President Joe Biden, to lower the minimum age for mobilization from 25 to 18. Ukrainian authorities have not agreed, citing the main problem of the Ukrainian armed forces as a lack of weapons. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently stated in an interview that such a decision would be senseless, as there is no possibility of equipping the fighters with sufficient weapons.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian fighters in interviews with Western news outlets claimed that there is a lack of personnel, leading to rotation problems and exhaustion of the armed forces.
Moscow has condemned military aid to Kyiv, arguing that it will only prolong the conflict without changing its outcome.