Political scientist describes ‘classic’ mistakes made by Ukrainian authorities in drafting mobilization bill
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The Ukrainian government made a number of “classic” mistakes in preparing a controversial mobilization bill, political scientist Oleh Sahakyan said in an interview with Radio NV on Jan. 12.
According to Sahakyan these mistakes included preparing the bill behind closed doors, drafting the bill without input from the Rada, poor communication, and not accounting for the effects of mobilization on society.
The bill was drafted on the principle of "let's not change anything, but just give more powers to the state,” he said.
"Don't ask us how to carry out mobilization. We do it the way we want. Don't ask us about corruption. We won't listen to you. Don't ask us how to manage the resources we already have. Don't ask us why the mobilization failed. Just go and join the army. This is your constitutional duty,"
Ultimately, Sahakyan argued, the bill “only further discredited the mobilization system.”
The bill, which was introduced on Dec. 25, 2023 was meant to improve certain issues related tomobilization, accounting, and military service.
The bill’s main proposals include:
The Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence began considering the bill on Jan. 4, together with the leadership of the Defense Ministry and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including Commander-in-Chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
The profile committee’s secretary, SBU Colonel Roman Kostenko, said that the committee hadquestions regarding nearly every part of the bill, the text of which is over 70 pages.
On Jan. 11, the Verkhovna Rada was supposed to consider the bill in the first reading, but after a meeting of MPs with Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Rustem Umerov, and Chief of the General Staff SerhiyShaptala, it was sent back to the government for revision.
The government subsequently withdrew the bill. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said the Ministry has prepared a revised version of the bill, which includes clear limits on how long mobilized troops would serve for before being allowed to return to civilian life.
Four alternative bills have also been registered in the Rada by MP Honcharenko (European Solidarity), MP Mazurashu (Servant of the People), MPs from the Kit and Liushniak Trust group, and the association of former speaker Dmytro Razumkov.
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