New draft law on mobilization: how draft evaders will be punished, who will receive a deferment and what scandalous norms will be removed.

The deputies assure that the Verkhovna Rada has every chance to adopt the law on mobilization by the end of March.

People's deputies have collected more than four thousand amendments and are now trying to process them. A member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, MP Fedir Venislavsky spoke about the probable dates of voting on the draft law on mobilization in the second reading in an interview with RBC-Ukraine, TSN writes .

"It is optimistic that the committee will be able to finish with the amendments by March 10-15. Pessimistic – by March 20, we will be able to consider them, form the committee's conclusion, vote and send the draft law to the Verkhovna Rada for the second reading. That is, under both optimistic and pessimistic scenarios, by the end of March, we have every chance to vote for this draft law in the second reading," he said.

Resonant provisions of the draft law

As Venislavskyi added, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence has not had so many amendments. Therefore, it was decided to divide all the same type of legislative amendments into groups, there were as many as 16 of them.

Most of the discussions were caused by the norms of restriction of constitutional rights and freedoms. It has now become known which restrictions for draft evaders will remain in the draft law on mobilization, and which have been rejected.

"We have decided that the restriction on the right to travel outside Ukraine for conscripts, men aged 18 to 60 is already spelled out in the law on the legal regime of martial law. In our opinion, there is no need to additionally regulate this in the new law. In the law of Ukraine on the approval of the decree of the President of Ukraine on the introduction of martial law, we have regulated this and so," Venislavsky said.

Also, according to the MP, it is unlikely that the norm on the arrest of accounts will be included in the final version of the law.

"As for the blocking of funds in accounts, monetary assets, etc., we rejected this norm in the committee."

However, the norm prohibiting driving a vehicle if a person liable for military service "does not update his military credentials, does not register, ignores summonses, etc." was supported. It is also possible that fines for evading mobilization will be increased in Ukraine.

In order for the TCCs not to be left alone with the "terrible mobilization realities", they will still be helped.

"We have agreed that state authorities, local governments, military administrations, enterprises, social protection bodies, educational and other institutions and organizations will jointly ensure mobilization processes, facilitate, assist, participate in various forms - this will definitely remain in the new law."

They also found an appointment for the police. People's Deputy Fedir Venislavsky stressed that all police officers should switch from special registration to general military registration, but at the same time, all police officers are 100% subject to reservation.

"We have decided that representatives of the police, at the request of the TCC and SP, participate in notifying citizens and in their presence representatives of the TCC and SP can serve summonses in order to prevent any illegal actions against the employees of the TCC and SP."

Graduate students can also exhale: "All graduate students will be eligible for a deferment, regardless of their form of study."

But men who are abroad should still contact the TCC to clarify their data. They can do this by phone or through the electronic account.

It is important that the committee has previously rejected the norm to prohibit the provision of consular services for them if men who are abroad do not have military registration documents. Another norm that has caused concern not only among society, but also among the military, is the opportunity for convicts to join the army. Currently, the people's deputies have agreed that if a person is conditionally convicted, he or she can be mobilized and registered for military service. However, there are exceptions.

"Another category is persons who are in places of detention, with the exception of persons convicted of crimes against the foundations of national security, against human sexual freedom and some other most sensitive crimes. These categories, taking into account these exceptions, will be able to enter military service during mobilization in wartime with their consent, if they wish, we will provide them with such an opportunity."

Terms of demobilization

As for demobilization, there is a consensus that it can be after 36 months. And specific terms, details and mechanism will still be discussed, assures Iryna Friz, a deputy from the European Solidarity party.

Repeated MPC for people with disabilities

Fedir Venislavsky stressed that after February 24, 2022, the number of people with disabilities of groups II and III has increased significantly. This is what prompted the people's deputies to agree on the re-passage of the MPC for these people.

"There are doubts whether all of them received this disability as a result of real injuries or illnesses. Therefore, it was decided that all citizens who received disability (preliminarily) of groups II and III for the first time since the beginning of the large-scale war, or were recognized as partially fit (aged 18 to 60 years) for military service, must undergo a re-examination. They must prove their fitness or unfitness for military service."

But as for the terms in which it will be necessary to go through the MPC again, there is no agreement yet.

The state is looking for incentives

And while this draft law has not yet entered into force, and even after this happens , the state should look for ways to encourage the population to protect Ukraine. This was stated by the adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak in a comment to The Telegraph.

"Despite all this, mobilization continues. Mobilization will take place. The state will look for incentives: both financial and material incentives. And it is moral, let's say, to work with public opinion, explaining that there is no option but to protect the country."

He also stressed that this law should take a broader look at the problems that arise in a long war and added that Ukraine has completely different values and the price of life here is also completely different. As for mobilization, according to the adviser to the head of the Office of the President, no country will be very sympathetic to conscription in a state of war.

"It's obvious. It's a difficult process. People in the 21st century generally want to live differently, they want to invest in their careers, in their families, in traveling around the world, in anything."