"Either for everyone or for no one." Third Assault Brigade commented on "Contract 18-24"
The Third Assault Brigade also criticised the Ministry of Defence's project "Contract 18-24", which many servicemen had previously called unfair and discriminatory.
Dmytro Kukharchuk (Slip), head of recruitment at the Third Assault Brigade, said in a comment to Yanina Sokolova that in addition to discrimination against servicemen, this initiative contradicts current legislation and undermines the recruitment efforts of military units that were not included in the experiment, Censor.NET reports.
"In addition to the moral, there is a discriminatory and legal component. There is a whole list of laws that have been violated. First of all, the Cabinet of Ministers cannot make such decisions, because the procedure for mobilisation and conscription is determined by the law of Ukraine, not the Cabinet of Ministers," Kukharchuk said.
In particular, the establishment of a new form of contract contradicts the Law of Ukraine ‘On Military Duty and Military Service’. The Law ‘On Principles of Preventing and Combating Discrimination’ is violated in terms of discrimination based on age, as well as the Law ‘On Social and Legal Protection of Servicemen’, as the project provides for different monetary remuneration and social protection for the military. In addition, volunteers who have signed a contract 18-24 will not have a career path, which violates the Regulations on Military Service, Slip wrote on his Telegram channel.
In his opinion, the new contracts will also negatively affect the recruitment of units that were not included in the pilot project - currently, six military units are allowed to sign contracts 18-24. "They say that other units will be added in the future. That's great, but during this time, other units that can recruit people do not. It's a very strange experiment, really. Why only these six, why not others, why not all the brigades?" said Kukharchuk.
He said he had spoken about this with ‘some high-level officials’. According to them, the Third Assault Brigade will not be included in the project, despite the fact that the brigade is considered a model in recruitment and attracts more than 500 volunteers a month. "Perhaps this [inclusion in the project] will be a possibility for some other brigades, but not for us. However, without pursuing my own ambitions, I am saying that it is either for everyone or for no one"’ said the head of recruitment of the Third Brigade.
The "Contract 18-24" is an initiative of the Ministry of Defence for citizens aged 18-24 who wish to join the Defence Forces for one year. The project provides for the payment of a ‘signing-on bonus’ of UAH 1 million, a monthly allowance of up to UAH 120,000, the possibility of obtaining a 0% mortgage after the end of the contract, free education in educational institutions, medical care, including dentistry and dental prosthetics, the right to travel abroad after a year of service, and exemption from mobilisation for 12 months after the end of the contract. A number of servicemen have criticised the draft law, calling it discriminatory.
As a reminder, on 11 February, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine officially launched the "Contract 18-24" voluntary service format for Ukrainians who are ready to join the Defence Forces for one year.
The ministry stressed that joining the Defence Forces under this project is not mobilisation, but a voluntary choice.
