"Radical" changes to mobilisation, which will affect conscription age, are under discussion – Kostenko
Roman Kostenko, Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence, has stated that discussions are currently underway regarding more radical changes to the mobilisation process. According to him, some of these changes relate to the conscription age.
He made these remarks during an appearance on the programme "Velykyi Lviv", as reported by Censor.NET.
"Radical measures are being prepared"
"I know that some radical measures are set to be introduced; discussions are already underway and, as far as I know, certain changes are being made to the conscription age, so to speak. I won’t go into detail; I think this will be announced later – both regarding the conscription age and the mobilisation process itself. But I know that things are moving forward," said the MP.
According to Kostenko, if the relevant decisions are finally adopted, they are to be announced by the Ministry of Defence or the General Staff.
Scepticism regarding financial incentives
At the same time, the MP was sceptical about financial incentives as a way of significantly increasing the number of people willing to serve. In his view, the previous introduction of cash bonuses for certain contracts did not result in the expected surge in those willing to serve.
"We can see that some financial incentives were offered for contracts, but this has not led to an increase in numbers. The numbers are either falling or remaining the same," said the secretary of the Defence Committee.
There will be no voluntary process
Furthermore, he stated that transforming mobilisation into a fully voluntary process is not under consideration. According to him, in wartime, the state will be forced to seek legal mechanisms to enlist even those citizens who do not wish to serve.
"If anyone thinks that our mobilisation, which is currently compulsory and lawful, will become something else – that people can choose whether to go or not – such decisions will not be taken. Those who wanted to defend the country have already gone. And here we need to find a way to enlist those who do not want to, but to do so in the right way. We have already used many methods. I think we will look for further ways to achieve this," said Kostenko.
- It should be recalled that earlier, during an interview with journalist Iryna Romaliiska on the YouTube channel "Butusov Plus", Roman Kostenko commented on the initial proposals from the Ministry of Defence, under the leadership of Yevhen Khmara, regarding the reform of mobilisation processes.
- In particular, he said that among the possible measures being considered by the Ministry of Defence together with the General Staff is a potential reduction in the upper limit of conscription age.
