Ministry of Defense asks Rada Defense Committee to postpone drafting of demobilization bill until March - media
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has asked the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence to postpone until March 18, 2025 the deadline for drafting a bill on the conditions for demobilization of military personnel during martial law.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by an interlocutor of the Ukrainska Pravda in the parliamentary defense committee.
What does the bill provide for?
The publication has a letter from Defense Minister Rustem Umierov to the committee.
The letter states that the Ministry of Defense has developed a bill on improving the mechanisms of rotation, determining the procedure and conditions for dismissal from service for certain categories of military during martial law.
Among other things, the document provides for the establishment of new rules for the discharge and rotation of military personnel who have been performing tasks in combat areas for a long time.
The General Staff did not support the relevant amendments
UP writes that the bill was sent for approval to the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the Administration of the State Special Transport Service.
At the same time, the General Staff did not support the relevant bill, arguing that its submission to the Verkhovna Rada is possible only if a sufficient number of military-trained resources are accumulated on the military register in the TCR and SS and citizens are conscripted to serve in the Armed Forces in satisfactory volumes.
According to the information provided by the General Staff, if the bill is implemented, the estimated number of servicemen who will be eligible for discharge will be 108,000 (including 14,000 officers), which, if they are discharged at the same time, will lead to a significant reduction in the number of personnel in combat units," the letter says.
Alternative versions of the bill on demobilization
According to UP, the Defense Ministry has drafted two alternative versions of the relevant bill.
In particular, it is proposed to provide military personnel who have served continuously during martial law for 36 months and during this period participated in hostilities in the areas of their execution for at least 18 months
- referral for rehabilitation for up to two months, and after rehabilitation - additional one-time leave for 30 days with the preservation of monthly financial support;
- an additional one-time leave of 90 days with a monthly allowance.
These alternatives also propose to oblige commanders to rotate servicemen who have been directly involved in combat operations for 90 days.
"These alternative bills require a detailed discussion and a decision at the level of the state leadership. In view of the above, we ask to postpone the deadline for completing the task set out in subparagraph 1.40 of Plan 3633-IX (referring to the development of a draft law on demobilization conditions - ed.) until March 18, 2025," the Defense Ministry said in a letter to the committee.
What preceded it?
Earlier, members of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence reported that the government had been instructed to draft a bill that would define the procedure and conditions for discharging military personnel from service. However, due to the unpredictable timing of the active phase of the war, it is difficult to say when this document will be adopted.
Members of Parliament emphasize the importance of rotation for soldiers who have been at the front for several years. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense emphasizes that the development of reserves is a key condition for the start of demobilization.
