Ukrainian MPs began on Wednesday to examine in second reading the controversial bill on mobilization. One of the key clauses in this text was notably removed: the demobilization of soldiers who have been fighting for more than 36 months.
A bill to facilitate recruitment was passed by the Ukrainian Parliament at first reading in February after the failure of a first version prepared by the government last year. “Following an appeal from the head of the army and the Minister of Defense (…), the clause on release from military service after 36 months was withdrawn,” explained Iryna Friz, member of the Parliament's Defense Committee. Several financial incentives for soldiers were also removed, she said. "It's a disaster. It's just brutal. What's on their minds? », Reacted Oleksandr, 46, who serves in the eastern region of Donetsk. ‘We must give those convicted the opportunity to fight,’ the co-author of the text, Oleksiï Goncharenko, defended.