Parliament passes bill allowing first-time deserters to return to military service
The contracts of these soldiers will continue to be valid if they decide to return to their units.
Mobilization
Parliament passes bills on military service, including draft deferral for civilians released from captivity
The Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed several bills on Nov. 20 considering mobilization and demobilization.
Defense Ministry pledges to draft bill on demobilization by Dec. 18, official says
It is not yet clear what conditions the Defense Ministry will propose for discharging military personnel from service, secretary of the parliamentary defense committee Roman Kostenko said.
Ukraine struggles to contain Russian advance in Donetsk Oblast as US elections loom
As voters in the U.S. head to the polls in presidential elections set to decisively steer the trajectory of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the situation on the battlefield is beginning to unravel for Kyiv. After two years of brutal attritional warfare across southern and eastern Ukraine, dynamism
Ukraine needs 500,000 more troops amid slowing mobilization, senior lawmaker says
Roman Kostenko, secretary of the parliamentary defense committee, stated on Nov. 2 that in his view it is necessary to mobilize 500,000 citizens, given current battlefield conditions.
Ukraine Business Roundup — Ukraine debates who serves and who doesn’t
The following is the Oct. 30, 2024 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. Companies in Ukraine that were expecting to be able to “reserve” their employees to shield them from military
160,000 people planned to be drafted into Ukrainian forces, National Security and Defense Council head says
Some 160,000 people are planned to be drafted into Ukrainian forces, which will raise the manning of units to 85%, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksandr Lytvynenko said on Oct. 29.
Government says 'strategically important' employees will be able to extend military exemption status
Meanwhile, an audit of the exemption process is ongoing until Nov. 15 to assess which businesses qualify for critical enterprise status, reflecting the government's effort to balance the country's defense needs with economic stability.
The little-known obstacle to Ukraine's mobilization effort
Can Ukraine actually lower the mobilization age? There’s a complication many don’t know about.
Meet the Ukrainian prisoner soldiers entering the fray in the Battle of Donbas
Editor’s note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only. DONETSK OBLAST – Sitting around in the long, dry grass outside an abandoned village house, two dozen men in summer military fatigues listen attentively to
Many Russians support Putin despite favoring opposing policies, survey shows
Around 61% of Putin's supporters said they favored peace in Ukraine under mutual concessions, according to the poll conducted by the independent Levada Center between Sept. 10 and 17.
Ukraine's draft system burdened with Soviet heritage, fixing it will take time, Zaluzhnyi says
Ukraine had to change its approach to mobilization as it carries Soviet influences, but much more time is needed for a proper reform, Ukrainian ambassador to the U.K. Valerii Zaluzhyni said at an event on Oct. 17 in response to a Kyiv Independent reporter.
Ukraine war latest: North Korea has sent 10,000 soldiers to Russia, Western source says
Key developments on Oct. 15: * North Korea has sent 10,000 soldiers to Russia, Western source says * Russia may resume strikes on Ukraine's energy sector in autumn, winter, official warns * 'No intact buildings left' in Toretsk, accelerating Russian advance, military says * US lawmakers pressuring Zelensky to lower mobilization age, Presidential
US lawmakers pressuring Zelensky to lower mobilization age, Presidential Office advisor says
The unnamed U.S. lawmakers have reportedly cited America's experience in the Vietnam War, when men aged 18-26 were drafted to fight, said Presidential Office advisor Serhii Leshchenko.
Officers detained men outside Okean Elzy concert in Kyiv, official confirms
Video footage taken at the scene shows officers stationed outside the doors to the venue, intercepting male attendees as they exited the concert. Officers are shown forcibly arresting some men.
Top medical official in Kyiv suspected of faking disability certificates for draft-age men
The head of one of the inter-district Centers for Medical and Social Experts in Kyiv will appear in court for allegedly handing out fake disability certificates, the police said on Oct. 8.
Russian losses in Ukraine mount in September, 2nd-deadliest month since start of full-scale invasion
September was the second-deadliest month for Russian forces fighting in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, according to figures released by Kyiv. Adding up, the daily reports from the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces show 38,130 Russian soldiers were reported as casualties last month. The figures
Russian proxies in occupied Kherson Oblast announce forced conscription of Ukrainians
From Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, men aged 18 to 30 living in occupied Kherson Oblast will be subject to conscription into the Russian military for a period of 12 months.
Putin signs law allowing criminal defendants to join the military
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Oct. 2 that exempts defendants from criminal liability if they join the Russian army, according to Russia's legal information portal.
Ukrainian commanders to be able to directly select volunteer fighters, defense minister announces
Commanders of Ukrainian military units will now be able to directly select soldiers who enlist voluntarily, bypassing the standard process of involving enlistment offices, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced on Oct. 1.
Ukraine war latest: Russia aims to draft 133,000 men during new round of fall conscription
Key developments on Sept. 30: * Russia aims to draft 133,000 Russians during new round of fall conscription * Russia intensifies attacks on recaptured Vovchansk plant, uses 'maximum range of weapons,' military says * Commander of Ukraine's 72nd Brigade transferred amid battle for Vuhledar * Some details of Ukraine's victory plan will
Russia aims to draft 133,000 during new round of fall conscription
Men aged from 18 to 30 will be drafted as part of the regularly occurring fall conscription campaign, according to a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on Sept. 30.
Ukraine passed mobilization law a year too late, Polish FM Sikorski says
Sikorski said that the law should have been passed when there were "many volunteers" to serve in the army, and "people felt personally threatened."
Ukrainian military to launch new project in coming months to improve basic training, Syrskyi says
Ukraine is working to improve the quality of training for its military, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi announced on Sept. 15, and will roll out a new project in October-November.
Putin delays new mobilization, despite Kursk incursion exposing troop shortages
Amid speculation that the Kremlin is considering a new mobilization of conscripts, some potential draftees say they are not enthusiastic about defending Russian territory just over a month after the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast. "I won't go (to the front). I swore an oath to the Constitution, not to
Authorities have uncovered nearly 600 criminal networks aiding draft evaders, Border Guards report
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, law enforcement agencies have uncovered over 570 criminal networks that help individuals evade military service by aiding them in fleeing abroad, State Border Guard spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said during a telecast on Sept. 2.
Petition urging Zelensky to lower mobilization age limit to 50 reaches 25,000 signatures
A petition asking President Volodymyr Zelensky to lower the upper age limit for mobilization from 60 to 50 to "improve the economic situation" in Ukraine has garnered over 25,000 signatures since it was posted on July 5.
Unknown assailant shoots at enlistment office in Lutsk, wounding soldier
Soldiers on guard duty outside an enlistment office in Lutsk were shot at by an unknown person during the night, leaving one soldier injured, Ukraine's Western Operational Command reported on Aug. 27.
The Counteroffensive: Online weddings and missile tracking – how Ukraine's digital innovations thrive amid war
Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on Aug. 20, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. Imagine getting married anywhere in the world – not in a registry office or
Nearly 1 million people temporarily exempted from military service, Defense Ministry says
About 930,000 Ukrainians liable for military service are temporarily exempted from military service, while their number may reach one million in a week, Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Havryliuk said.
Top Kyiv Oblast enlistment officials detained over suspected draft evasion scheme
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained the heads of the Bucha and Boryspil military enlistment offices over a suspected corruption scheme that allowed men to evade the draft, the SBU and the Prosecutor General’s Office said on Aug. 16.
Ukraine war latest: Ukraine controls 74 settlements in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Zelensky says
"Despite the difficult, intense battles, the advance of our forces in Kursk Oblast continues," President Zelensky said.
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