Zelenskyy calls for fair mobilisation, opposes enforcement of callup notices by street patrols

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expects military leadership to pass a fair mobilisation law, urging justice for conscripts and the digitisation of the military enlistment process.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with German ARD TV channel

Quote: "It is only fair. The prospect of demobilisation is a crucial part of any mobilisation plan. Many soldiers have spent long periods of time on the battlefield; up to 700 days in some cases. I am grateful to them for defending our state, as every Ukrainian is. I believe society can’t possibly thank them enough.

Fair rotations are necessary, and generous periods of leave should be granted. Money alone cannot [make up for insufficient leave]. Although salaries are high, fairness in this regard is essential.

I also expect from the military today a law on fair mobilisation, be it an extension of or amendment to the law – it can be called different things. In any case, I would like it to be a comprehensive, fair legislative proposal. That's [all I’m asking]. That’s their task for today.

It remains to be seen whether this decision will prove popular or not. But in my opinion, the military needs to work with the Ministry of Defence to develop a fair response to this issue."

Details: Zelenskyy also criticised the practice of representatives from territorial military enlistment offices going out on the streets to round up men who failed to report for enlistment, considering it undignified. He emphasised the need to be fair and honest in addressing this issue.

"They should not be doing this. That's why I asked our military and MPs, when preparing this legislative proposal, to put an end to enforcement via street patrols. Today we can address this issue via digital communication, etc. We live in the era of digitisation, and are a highly digitised country – there is no excuse for not addressing this issue in a modern way," said the president.

Regarding protecting citizens' rights and freedoms, he stressed that Ukraine is under martial law, making it challenging to discuss laws protecting civil liberties.

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