Ukraine’s Parliament has voted to extend martial law and general mobilization in response to the ongoing Russian invasion initiated by President Vladimir Putin in February 2022. The vote took place on Tuesday, with the extension lasting for another 90 days, from August 12 to November 9. Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak announced the outcome through his Telegram account, highlighting that the measure received 339 votes out of a possible 355. The proposal now awaits the president’s signature.
The Ukrainian Parliament had published on its website the documents submitted by President Volodymyr Zelensky, which included a call to lengthen the general mobilization period and continue martial law.
Martial law was first enacted on February 24, 2022, coinciding with the start of Russia’s invasion, which also led to a nationwide mobilization call. The Parliament has since extended this situation nearly ten times. The last extension was on May 8, with the new measures taking effect on May 14, set to expire on August 11. It is expected that the legislature will support the president’s requests to extend these measures again.
Recently, Zelensky indicated that new troops are being successfully mobilized into the Armed Forces. “The Army reports that everything is proceeding according to their plan,” he noted during a meeting with Ukrainian journalists, as quoted by the state news agency Ukrinform.
Additionally, Zelensky mentioned a shortage of training facilities for new recruits and stated that efforts are underway to establish more training centers. He also pointed out that training could occur abroad, with Poland agreeing to host some Ukrainian recruits for military instruction.
The legislation allows for the voluntary mobilization of certain groups of prisoners, excluding those convicted of serious crimes such as murder, pedophilia, or offenses against national security. Other prisoners may enlist if they have no more than three years left on their sentences.
According to Roman Kostenko, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament’s National Security, Defense and Intelligence Committee, about 3,800 Ukrainian prisoners are now serving in the Armed Forces as part of the war effort. He revealed that many of these individuals have recently completed their training, some having already been injured or even killed in combat.
Moreover, Kostenko acknowledged a decline in demand for prisoner mobilization, as the majority of volunteers have already joined military service. Nevertheless, he estimates that around 1,200 additional prisoners may still enlist.
Ukrainian authorities have observed an increase in illegal border crossing attempts among men of military age, who have been prohibited from leaving the country since martial law was imposed.
It has been over two years since Ukraine found itself in conflict with Russia due to Putin’s invasion order, following nearly eight years of tension between the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces in the eastern Donbas region.
(Information sourced from Europa Press and EFE)
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