By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) – The Ukrainian parliament, known as the Verkhovna Rada, on Wednesday passed a draft law on military mobilization in its first reading, which previously sparked controversy in the country.
Parliament members may propose amendments until Feb. 21, after which the draft will be considered in the second reading, lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak said on Telegram.
The draft has to be approved in three readings and signed by the president to become effective.
The bill toughens the mobilization rules. Among other things, it legalizes digital notifications about the necessity to report to military service, introduces the possibility of banning people who evade military service from driving a vehicle and restricts access to their bank accounts.
Consular services will be provided only to men aged 18 to 60 who live abroad and have military registration documents.
Men must present a military identity card upon the first request of the staff of the military enlistment office and police officers. Otherwise, violators will be taken to the military recruitment center to be enrolled.
The controversial bill, which was introduced in parliament in December, proposed lowering the draft age from 27 to 25, limiting deferrals for men with minor disabilities, and sending out electronic notifications about the need to report to the military.
It was sent for reworking amid public discontent, and the updated version was published on Feb. 6, retaining the most contentious points.
At an end-of-year press conference in December, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the military had proposed mobilizing an additional 450,000 to 500,000 people.
Ukraine has been at war with Russia since Feb. 2022.