Rada was asked to slow down: the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is afraid of losing 108 thousand soldiers at once

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has asked the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence to postpone the preparation of a draft law on the conditions for the demobilization of military personnel during martial law until March 18, 2025. This is reported by Ukrainska Pravda, citing a source in the committee and a letter from Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, which he has.

The letter notes that the Ministry of Defense has developed a draft law on improving the mechanisms of rotation, determining the procedure and conditions for dismissal from service during martial law. The document, among other things, provides for the establishment of new norms regarding the dismissal and rotation of military personnel who have been in combat areas for a long time. The bill was sent for approval, including to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The latter did not support him, noting that the submission of the document for consideration by the Rada is possible only if sufficient human resources are accumulated.

"According to the information provided by the General Staff, in the case of the implementation of the draft of this law, the estimated number of military personnel who will be eligible for dismissal will be 108 thousand people (of which 14 thousand officers), which in case of their simultaneous dismissal will lead to a significant decrease in the staffing of combat units," the letter says.

It is noted that the Ministry of Defense has worked out two alternative versions of the bill. In particular, it is proposed to provide certain categories of military personnel with a referral for rehabilitation for up to two months, and after that — an additional one-time leave of 30 days with the preservation of monetary allowance.

In addition, it is proposed to oblige commanders to rotate military personnel who have been directly involved in hostilities for 90 days.