The Verkhovna Rada allowed the third stage of mobilization and raised the military service age

Yesterday, the Verkhovna Rada enacted President Petro Poroshenko’s decree on partial mobilization, which will be the third one over the last four months. This time mobilization will be used to replace law enforcers in the combat zone in the Donbas and train the territorial defense forces in all regions of the country.

Families of the military closely watched

The explanatory note to the presidential decree, which was approved by the VR yesterday, reads that the need for the third wave of mobilization is dictated by the cases of terrorist attacks on the territory of Ukraine and concentration of groups of forces of the Russian Federation on the state border with the threat of attack. The draft of enlisted men, reservists and supply of vehicles will be carried out at the location of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the Security Service, the State Border Service and the special transport service throughout the country within 45 days. The number of conscripts was not specified, but on Tuesday Secretary of the NSDC Andriy Parubiy said that during the two stages of mobilization 53 military units of the Armed Forces and 18 units of other military formations were put on alert. He predicted that the third stage will place in operational readiness another 15 combat units and 44 combat support units. «We will create a system of replenishment of the shortage of personnel and its rotation, reinforce the border security, increase the capacity and capabilities of territorial defense and strengthen the component for technical protection of the transport infrastructure and its recovery,» said Parubiy during the presentation of the decree in the parliament.

Capital’s source in the General Staff of the Defense Ministry explained that the main purpose for mobilization is the roundout of units that suffered losses during the fights in the ATO zone with military professionals. Moreover, in case of introduction of a special regime the country should have trained units for territorial defense. «Combat units will be completed with reservists that have military experience and other reservists will be used for territorial defense and security,» said the source.

The current partial mobilization will also concern the population ineligible for military duty. On June 6, 2014 then Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov signed a decree allowing the enlistment of citizens ineligible for military duty to the reserve of the Armed Forces in localities near which military units were deployed. The right to enlist Ukrainians to reserve was given to commanders and military commissariats. Capital’s interlocutor at the General Staff said that the recruitment offices have already started to build-up the reserve with people ineligible for military duty for the purpose of territorial defense, in particular, protection of strategically important facilities and communications ensuring the operation of military control bodies and public authorities.

Unlike the previous two presidential decrees, the current document prohibits families of servicemen involved in anti-terrorist operations in the Donbas to disclose restricted information. Former Deputy Defense Minister Leonid Polyakov explains that primarily this is related to the deployment of military forces, their amount and movement plans. «A mobile phone signal can be used for tracing and guidance of precision weapons. Moreover, conversations can be tapped by the enemy,» says Polyakov.

Donbas requires rotation

MP and former defense minister Oleksandr Kuzmuk (Economic Development) told the publication that mobilization would allow rotation of the law enforcers, who have been in the combat zone for several months. He says after team training the draftees will replace the current military forces. At the same time, the Armed Forces are currently in need of representatives of more than 40 military specialties.

«Namely, those are mechanized infantry, mechanics, drivers, gunners, paratroopers and mine clearance experts. Not to mention health workers, drivers of heavy vehicles and technicians,» said Kuzmuk. According to the Secretary of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense Serhiy Kaplin (UDAR), all the complexities of the two previous stages will be taken into account during the third stage. He noted that in most cases there was no account of reservists or people’s documents were destroyed at military enlistment offices. At the same time, there were no funds for inventory and logistics support of the military. «The Cabinet began allocation of substantial funds, but red tape slows down their receipt by the Army and the National Guard,» said Kaplin.

Yesterday the VR also increased the draft age for reservists. For privates, sergeants, master sergeants and officers it was raised from 50 to 60 years and for senior officers — up to 65.