A committee of the Ukrainian parliament met on Thursday to discuss changes, some considered draconian, proposed to the law on the mobilization of the armed forces, a step demanded by the military leadership to replenish the number of troops needed to counter a Russian invasion. , reports Reuters.

These proposals have been criticized by the public and some politicians. The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights also stated that some measures are unconstitutional.

Changes to the mobilization law were sent by the government to the parliament at the end of December after discussions with the leadership of the Armed Forces.

After the committee of the unicameral legislative body in Kyiv approves the version of the bill, it will be submitted to the plenary session for discussion and may be amended during two or three readings. If it is approved by the parliament, it will be sent to President Zelenskyi for publication.

Some lawmakers and a senior aide to Zelenskyi tried to ease public concern by assuring that the initial version of the bill would be amended before its first reading in parliament, possibly as early as next week.

Ukrainian generals want 500,000 additional troops

Ukraine began mobilizing civilians into the armed forces on the first day of the Russian invasion, when President Zelenskyy declared martial law throughout the country. At first, the Ukrainian armed forces were also helped by the influx of foreign volunteers, but their number decreased sharply.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kyiv also announced that currently 9,000 criminal cases have been opened for evasion of mobilization.

Last month, Zelensky said that the armed forces propose to mobilize 450,000-500,000 additional soldiers. The Chief of the General Staff in Kyiv, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, says that this figure takes into account the losses incurred and forecasts of future military plans.

Military analysts say half a million men could be mobilized within a year, rather than all at once, if the measure is approved.

Punishment for those fleeing mobilization

The project, submitted by the government to the parliament, provides for a number of sanctions for those who evade mobilization, as well as for other persons who violate it. Recognized culprits will be placed on a special register and may limit transactions with property, traveling abroad and taking loans.

Offenders may also lose social benefits and access to public services. One of the proposed changes is a restriction on their ability to obtain driver’s licenses.

A separate bill submitted to the parliament at the same time as the government bill also proposes to significantly increase the fines for those who do not show up for military commissariats, violate the rules of mobilization and commit crimes during military service.

Also, this project proposes to introduce a punishment of up to 5 years of imprisonment for those who refuse military medical control.

Kyiv troops are looking for recruits

The government’s proposed changes also include lowering the age at which they can be mobilized to 25 from the current 27.

The move would allow the armed forces to replenish their reserves, but authorities have not yet provided exact numbers, citing security concerns. The parliament already approved this measure last spring, but it did not enter into force because Zelensky did not make it public.

He said he would change his mind if there was a good reason to do so.

Another amendment will allow RATS authorities to send summonses about mobilization online, by e-mail or through another electronic platform. The move will make it harder to evade recruiters, who currently hand out subpoenas in person or mail them to interested parties’ homes.

Russia adopted a similar measure in April last year.

Demobilization and incorporation of Ukrainians abroad

The legislative package also includes a provision that is strongly demanded by front-line soldiers and their families, but which is extremely sensitive to the military leadership: the demobilization of those who have served for 36 consecutive months during the martial law extended by the Verkhovna Rada – o regularly since the beginning of the invasion.

Some of the Ukrainian fighters have been fighting for almost two years and are physically and mentally exhausted. Currently, the law on mobilization does not provide for a period after which the soldiers will be left at home.

General Zaluzhny says such a measure will only be possible if there is no escalation by Russia on the battlefield and if Ukraine has enough reserves ready by 2025 to replace current troops.

Martial law also theoretically prohibits those fit for military service from leaving the country, but this was seen sporadically in the chaos of the early days of the Russian invasion. In its current form, Ukrainian legislation does not allow men who have already left the country to be called up for military service.

In its initial form, the government draft envisages the obligation of men who have left the country to update their military records, and this can now be done only in Ukrainian civil registry offices. It is also proposed that consular services, such as the processing of passports, should be provided only in the presence of military registration documents.

But efforts to force Ukrainians who fled the invasion to return to fight Russia will prove highly controversial, and analysts believe the provision is unlikely to make it into final law after debate in parliament.

Germany, one of the countries that accepted the largest number of refugees from Ukraine, has already announced that there is no question of fulfilling the requests of the government in Kyiv to transfer Ukrainians to German soil for mobilization.

Follow the latest events of the 680th day of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HOTNEWS.RO.