The Rada proposes to expand the list of grounds for deferment from mobilization

A bill introducing new grounds for obtaining deferment from mobilization has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada. It concerns, in particular, relatives of people who died or went missing as a result of Russian aggression, as well as parents who raise a child alone due to the prolonged stay of the other parent abroad.

Bill No115494 was registered on August 10. Its author is MP Georgii Mazurashu, a member of the parliamentary faction "Servant of the People".

Who is proposed to be granted deferment

Currently, the right to deferment is granted to persons liable for military service whose close relatives died or went missing while participating in measures to defend Ukraine from Russian aggression. Such relatives include the husband or wife, children, parents, as well as siblings.

Mazurashu proposes to extend this provision to citizens whose close ones died or went missing due to Russian aggression under other circumstances. In particular, during volunteer activities in the combat zone, as a result of missile strikes, bombing or hostilities directly.

Another proposal concerns parents of minor children. One of the parents will be able to claim deferment if the other permanently resides abroad or stayed outside Ukraine for at least 90 days during the year. The author of the initiative explains this by the necessity to leave at least one of the parents next to the child.

How the powers of the territorial recruitment centres may change

The bill is also to change the procedure for considering deferment applications. According to Mazurashu's explanation, it is the territorial recruitment and military support centres (TCC SR) that should verify information in state registers and send inquiries to other bodies, not the persons liable for military service themselves.

The MP also proposes not to mobilize a person while their deferment application is being considered and the possible rejection is being appealed. If the TCC finds the grounds stated by the citizen insufficient, the recruitment centre, as intended by the author, would have to substantiate its position in court.

At the same time, the full text of the bill and accompanying documents had not yet been disclosed at the time of registration. Therefore, the proposed provisions are currently known only from the explanation of the initiative's author. The registration of the document does not change the current mobilization rules and does not create new grounds for deferment.

Chances of adoption remain indeterminate

Mazurashu's membership in the "Servant of the People" faction per se does not mean the initiative will gain the support of the parliamentary majority, the relevant comittee or the government. The bill was introduced by an individual MP, and no official support for the document from the faction has been reported so far.

Mazurashu is known for a large number of registered legislative initiatives, a significant part of which never reaches the final adoption. According to estimates of the CHESNO Movement, during the first five years of parliament's work, he authored or co-authored 887 initiatives, of which approximately 19% were voted for.

The prospects of Bill No115494 should be assessed cautiously also because of the sensitivity of the topic. Expanding the list of deferments may shrink the mobilization resource at a time when the Defense Forces have a continuous need for personnel reinforcement, and the government continues revising the reservation rules for persons liable for military service.

For the bill to come into force, it has to undergo review in the relevant comittee, receive a sufficient number of votes in the Verkhovna Rada, be signed by the president and officially published.

Materials from: Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Georgii Mazurashu, CHESNO Movement