New draft law on mobilization must go through several stages before final adoption

According to Goncharenko, changes and amendments must be made by Feb. 21. These amendments must then be considered by the National Security Committee. Only after this is completed will the Rada vote.

Goncharenko also noted that the bill was passed without any proposals from the relevant committee. It was supported by 243 MPs.

Earlier, MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak said that the bill would be adopted in the last week of February, signed in early March, and would come into force in April.

On Jan. 30, the government registered a new version of the bill in the Verkhovna Rada. It proposes, among other things, to introduce summonses through an electronic portal. Other innovations include lowering the conscription age to 25, setting the demobilization period at 36 months, introducing voluntary mobilization for convicts, restrictions on evaders, banning civil service without military training, and more.

On Dec. 25, the Cabinet of Ministers registered a draft law in the Verkhovna Rada, which received a lot of criticism.

The document was expected to be considered in the first reading on Jan. 11. The second reading, after all amendments were made, could have taken place in early February.

On Jan. 11, the Verkhovna Rada was going to vote on the Cabinet's draft law, but following a meeting of MPs with the participation of the Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Serhiy Shaptala, it was returned to the government for revision.