Rada Reduces Conscription Age From 27 To 25

The Verkhovna Rada has reduced the maximum age of citizens on military registration of conscripts from 27 to 25 years of age. Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a Member of the Rada from the Holos faction, wrote about this on his Telegram channel, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"Parliament supported (No. 9281) reducing the maximum age of citizens on military registration of conscripts from 27 to 25 years of age.  304 “for” as a whole," he wrote.

Zhelezniak noted that the Rada made such a decision at a meeting on May 30.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in May, the Cabinet of Ministers proposed to the Verkhovna Rada to reduce the maximum age of citizens on military registration of conscripts from 27 to 25 years of age. It is about amending the law On Military Duty and Military Service.

The bill establishes that male citizens of Ukraine who are fit for health reasons, who are 18 years old by the day of departure to a military unit, and older persons who have not reached the age of 25 and are not entitled to exemption or delay from conscription, are called for military service.

Previously, the law provided for conscription from the age of 18 to 27 years.

The Ministry of Defense believes that at present, during the operation of the legal regime of martial law in the state, there is no need for citizens to stay on the military record of conscripts up to 27 years old. In particular, the Ministry notes that the need for their annual arrival in territorial recruitment and social support centers (military registration and enlistment offices), including for medical examinations, leads to additional financial costs, burden on medical workers and an increase in queues for passing the military medical commission, while conscription for military service during martial law is not carried out.

In February, the Cabinet of Ministers established that conscripts who have reached the age of 27 should arrive at draft sites for medical examination.

In October 2022, a law on the abolition of conscription during martial law came into force.

In December 2022, the Cabinet approved a new procedure for military registration. Conscripts from 16 to 27 years should be put on military registration (previously citizens aged 17 to 27 years were subject to military registration).