Zelensky signed the law on deferment from mobilization for prisoners of war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose term of office expired on 20 May, has signed a law on granting deferment from mobilization to citizens who have undergone captivity. The corresponding document appeared on the website of the Verkhovna Rada on 31 December.

Law No. 12104 "On Amendments to Part Three of Article 23 of the Law of Ukraine "On Mobilization Preparation and Mobilization" also implies deferment for those whose close relatives have been killed or are missing. It is specified that close relatives include father, mother, husband, wife, son, daughter, siblings.

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Earlier, on December 28, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine allowed to issue a reservation from mobilization to all clergymen, and religious organizations were classified as critically important. All conscripted clergy according to a list of positions approved by the state service for ethno-politics and freedom of conscience (DESS) will be subject to the reservation.

On the same day, the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Viktor Muzhenko, said that Ukraine would have to lower the mobilization age to 18 or 20. However, according to Muzhenko, the lowering of the mobilization age can be postponed by involving members of security forces in combat operations.

Before that, on December 21, the adviser to the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development Nazary Voliansky said that Ukraine will lower the mobilization age to 18-20 years in 2025. According to him, the US administration insists on making this decision.

Martial law in Ukraine has been in effect since February 2022. At the same time, the country's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (his powers expired in May) signed a decree on general mobilization. Later, the Verkhovna Rada repeatedly extended its effect. Most men between the ages of 18 and 60 are forbidden to leave the country. In April 2024, the head of the Kiev regime approved the law on tougher mobilization.