Ukrainian soldiers' relatives hold rally in support of clear military service term – photo
Relatives of Ukrainian military personnel held a rally in support of demobilisation and the introduction of a clear term of military service in central Kyiv on Saturday, 27 April.
Source: Suspilne
Details: Around a hundred people gathered in Kyiv’s Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) on Saturday morning, among them relatives of Ukrainian military personnel – including many servicemen’s wives – who came to Kyiv from across Ukraine.
The protesters believe that a lack of a clearly defined term of military service is negatively affecting the mobilisation campaign and the morale of the soldiers defending Ukraine on the front.
The photos from the rally show protesters holding signs that read: "We demand a bill on establishing a reasonable demobilisation term", "My husband is not your slave", "Joined voluntarily, ended up serving indefinitely", and "No clear term of service = demoralised soldiers", among others.
Inna Sovsun, a people’s deputy in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (the Ukrainian parliament), joined the rally.
Similar rallies were previously held in different Ukrainian cities. Today’s protest gathered people from all over Ukraine in order to urge the government to address this issue in the nearest future.
Background:
- On 9 April, Ukrainska Pravda reported that the Verkhovna Rada (Parliamentary) Committee on National Security and Defence has removed provisions on demobilisation and the rotation of military personnel from the government's mobilisation bill, which has since passed.
- The removal of the demobilisation provisions from the bill was initiated by Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
- Later on, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry said that a new bill on demobilisation will be ready in eight months, by December 2024.
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