General Staff and 20 military unit commanders push stiffer penalties for military disobedience – Servant of People Ionushas
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and unit commanders are insisting on changes to the legal responsibility of servicemen and on the adoption of Draft Law No. 13452, which would prohibit courts from imposing suspended sentences or mitigating punishments for disobedience committed by military personnel.
This was stated by Serhii Ionushas, head of the parliamentary Committee on Law Enforcement, who submitted the draft law to parliament, Censor.NET reported citing Sudovo-Yurydychna Hazeta.
The MP noted that on August 27 the parliamentary Committee on Law Enforcement recommended the draft law for approval in the first reading. However, the conclusion attached to the bill notes that the proposed changes to Articles 69 and 75 of the Criminal Code should be removed before the second reading.
According to Ionushas, "today the dynamics of the war differ from those of 2022, and due to the constant movement of military units, subunits, and individual servicemen of the Armed Forces and other formations, there arose a need to improve legislation at the initiative of the servicemen themselves."
"Our Committee actively cooperates with the General Staff of AFU and takes into account proposals received from the military. It was the commanders of combat units of the Armed Forces (around 20 commanders) who insisted on implementing these initiatives and improving certain aspects of servicemen’s legal responsibility. Who, if not them, knows best what changes they need today," the politician said.
Ionushas emphasized that during the meeting of the relevant Committee, the subcommittee’s information was heard, the positions of MPs, Committee members and invited participants, were clarified, expert conclusions were taken into account, and the issue was thoroughly discussed.
"Although Committee members generally supported the draft law, after consultations with experts and analysis of public opinion, they concluded that the proposed changes to Articles 69 and 75 of the Criminal Code should be excluded during preparations for the second reading, as stated in the Committee’s Conclusion, which is also available in the attached documents on the Verkhovna Rada website," the MP stressed.
He added that the General Staff of the Armed Forces expressed its principled support for the bill in a letter signed by the Chief of the General Staff.
