By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukraine’s parliament has passed a mobilization bill to send more men to the battlefields in the war against Russia that has already killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was due to sign the legislation approved Thursday at a time when the nation needs more forces to stave off Russia’s invading army.
Zelensky expressed concern about increased Russian attacks: On Thursday, Moscow used guided bombs to hit a thermal power plant in Ukraine’s northern city of Sumy, but there were no casualties, military officials said.
The bill accepted Thursday would oblige Ukrainian men between 18 and 60 years of age to effectively battle against Russian strikes and other aggression.
Ukrainian men will have to update their data with authorities, enabling draft offices to know who can be mobilized in any given region, Worthy News learned.
Military-age men would be legally required at all times to carry the registration document they are given by the draft office, according to the law. Draft officers could ask to see the document in the street.
The bill does not set any time limit for wartime military service. That means soldiers who fought since the February 2022 full-scale invasion began to have no idea when they will be demobilized, critics said. A previous draft of the law set a time limit, according to sources familiar with the case.
NEW LAW
The new law prohibits men of military age from going abroad, but there is no known procedure for calling up Ukrainian men outside the country.
The bill proposes a “tracking procedure” of potential soldiers, but it wasn’t clear how that would work in practice and was to be determined by Kyiv. It
People will also be banned from driving vehicles if they disobey the mobilization rules.
An earlier draft had proposed harsh punishments, such as asset freezes for those walking away from the draft, but it was cut after a massive outcry.
A separate bill proposing fines for draft dodgers passed its first reading on Wednesday. The law was closely watched in Hungary amid worries about the roughly 150,000 ethnic Hungarians living in Ukraine.
Budapest says dozens of ethnic Hungarians have been killed or injured in battle, fighting for Ukraine.
Hungary’s government on Thursday also expressed concern about the NATO military alliance preparing a mission in Ukraine, which it warned could lead to a broader international armed conflict.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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