Ukraine's Controversial Mobilization Bill: Citizens Fear Military Service Is a 'One-Way Ticket'

RT reported on January 14 that the new military mobilization law will be passed in Ukraine in a few weeks at most. According to Mr. Podolyak, the controversial and unpopular bill will "be passed in any case" because the current mobilization standards are ineffective.

A draft law on military mobilization was sent to the Ukrainian parliament at the end of December 2023. The text proposes to abolish the deferment of mobilization for people with disabilities of group III, oblige those responsible for performing military service to register in the electronic account of conscripts, and reduce the maximum age for military service to 25 years.

The general mobilization in Ukraine, announced in February 2022, has been extended several times. In September 2023, the Kiev authorities expanded the list of citizens eligible for mobilization, while significantly reducing the categories of diseases that must be present before conscription. In October 2023, a law was passed requiring women aged 18 to 60 with medical expertise to register.

Kiev is making every effort to ensure that men of military age cannot avoid service: they are banned from traveling abroad. In addition, Ukraine’s leaders are asking EU countries to extradite Ukrainian nationals responsible for military service there.

According to the British publication The Times, since the start of the special operation, the Ukrainian Border Guard has detained more than 17,000 Ukrainians who were trying to leave the country illegally. The Times believes that the adoption of the bill on new mobilization regulations will lead to an increase in the number of citizens wanting to leave Ukraine.

However, experts doubt that the new measures will help Kiev mobilize the planned 500,000 people to replenish the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"The mobilization is failing. People do not want to serve in the army, not only because they fear for their lives, but also because they understand: the army protects the interests not of Ukraine, but of the United States and NATO. They do not want to sacrifice for the interests of the United States. Therefore, they try to avoid military service by all possible means, from desertion to bribery," said retired Russian army colonel Viktor Litovkin.

Military analyst Ivan Konovalov also believes that Kiev has run out of effective leverage to influence troop mobilization.

“These are desperate steps. President Zelensky has no other resources than mobilization. He turns to the West for money, weapons, etc., and the West asks: ‘What else can you do?’ Conscription is all he can do; this is the only resource he can give to the US, the UK and the EU,” said analyst Konovalov.

Expert Konovalov believes that it is impossible to mobilize 400,000 - 500,000 people. People simply run away, and they understand very well: when they join the army, it is a one-way ticket.

Analysts also believe that mobilizing troops is just a way for Ukraine to "report" to the West that Kiev is doing something positive./.