Ukrainians returning from abroad would not be called to the Armed Forces immediately: what the Rada is proposing

A bill has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada that proposes to introduce a 90-day postponement from mobilization for Ukrainians returning from abroad or from temporarily occupied territories. This is stated in draft law No. 16034, registered in parliament. The initiators of the document are People's Deputies Serhiy Kozyr, Yevhen Brahar, Ruslan Horbenko, Vitaliy Voitsekhovskyi, and Heorhiy Mazurashu. They propose amendments to Article 23 of the Law “On Mobilization Preparation and Mobilization.” According to the draft law, the right to a 90-day postponement will be granted to those liable for military service who meet one of two criteria. The first: the person was outside Ukraine as of 24 February 2022 and left lawfully after that date and remained continuously abroad until the moment of return. The second: the person permanently lived in a temporarily occupied territory from the start of its occupation until departing for territory under Ukraine’s control. During the 90-day postponement, the person may be called up for military service only with their voluntary consent. It is envisaged that the postponement will be granted only once — regardless of which of the two grounds provided in the draft law gave rise to it. The issuance is proposed to be automatic based on interregistry interaction. That is, it will not be necessary to submit an application, documents, or personally contact the Territorial Recruitment and Social Protection Center. If the necessary information is not available in state information resources, a person will be able to contact the Territorial Recruitment and Social Protection Center with an application and documents confirming the right to the postponement. Currently the legislative initiative is being worked on in the relevant parliamentary committee. If the draft law is adopted in the proposed wording, it will be signed by the Chair of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, and the law will come into force one month after official publication. As FACTS reported, the law on mobilization provides for a number of categories of those liable for military service who may receive a deferment from conscription.