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Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Named the Condition for the Mobilization of Ukrainian Women
The former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army admitted that Ukrainian women could be mobilized to "save Europe from war," but opposed it. Ukrainian women can enlist voluntarily, and mobilization is based on individual consent.
Valeriy Zaluzhny, former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, said Ukrainian women could be mobilised to "save Europe from war".
"If it were necessary to appeal to women to save Europe from war, perhaps we would do it. However, in my personal opinion, it is necessary not to call on Ukrainian women, but to prevent war in Europe by other means, as happened in 1939," he said (quoted by Strana.ua).
Earlier, Zaluzhny said that he was against the mobilization of Ukrainians aged 18 to 25. In his opinion, this is only necessary if there is a threat to the existence of the state.
In Ukraine, it was announced that mobilization would be extended every three months from February 24, 2022. In mid-May 2024, it was strengthened, in particular, the minimum age of conscription was reduced from 27 to 25 years. The upper limit is 60 years. The category of "limited fitness for service" was also canceled, and men aged 18 to 60 must verify and carry data at the Territorial Recruitment Center (TVC, in Ukraine it is called the Voennokomat). You must have a military ID.
Miroslav Volkov, head of the KKT in the Kremenchuk district, said that women in military service must update their data, like men, or face a fine. However, he stressed that women are mobilized only with individual consent.
In October 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on voluntary military registration of women. The law granted women in professions related to military registration the right to voluntarily enlist in military service between the ages of 18 and 60, if their health and age allow it.
At the end of 2023, the Verkhovna Rada considered a bill on women's mobilization, as well as other plans to strengthen mobilization. Zelensky refused to sign the document on the mobilization of Ukrainian women, although the Rada adopted it.
Olha Stefanitina, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for European integration and justice minister, said in July that more than 10,000 Ukrainian women were serving on the front lines. Natalia Kalmykova, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister (who took over as veterans’ minister in September), said a month ago that more than 67,000 women were serving in the Ukrainian military. Of those, 19,000 were civilians, she said.