Draft bill #10379 of December 25, 2023 

Sponsor: the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine 

Status: awaits to be signed by the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada 

Who is affected: conscripts, persons subject to military service, reservists, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Foreign Intelligence Service, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine 

Summary: 

  • fines for violations of laws on defense and military registration will be increased: 
    • during peacetime, violations of military registration requirements committed by conscripts, persons subject to military service, and reservists will be punished by a fine from 3,400 to 5,100 UAH. For repeated violations, fines will range from 5,100 to 8,500 UAH. Such violations during a special period (during martial law) will entail a fine from 17,000 to 25,500 UAH 
    • violations of the legislation on defense, mobilization preparation, and mobilization will be punished by a fine from 5,100 to 8,500 UAH for citizens and from 17,000 to 25,500 UAH for officials of state bodies, local governments, legal entities, and public associations 
    • repeated violations within a year during peacetime will entail a fine from 8,500 to 11,900 UAH for citizens and from 25,550 to 34,000 UAH for officials of state bodies and local governments, legal entities, and public associations. During martial law, such violations will be fined from 17,000 to 25,500 UAH for citizens and from 34,000 to 51,000 UAH for officials of state bodies, local governments, legal entities, and public associations 
  • during martial law, an administrative offense report will not be drafted if the consideration of the violation of the military registration regulations by a citizen is referred to the jurisdiction of the territorial recruitment center, the Central Office of the Security Service of Ukraine, or its regional office, and if the person did not arrive at the recruitment without valid reasons or did not inform about the reason for the failure to arrive after being duly notified about the date, time, and place of the summons 
  • administrative fines for violations of military registration, mobilization, and mobilization preparation laws during martial law can be imposed within three months after they are detected, but no later than one year after they were committed. 

What is right: the bill is aimed at strengthening accountability for violations of mobilization and military accounting requirements during peacetime and martial law. 

What is wrong: the draft bill proposes to significantly increase fines but does not specify what actions or inaction will entail such penalties. Moreover, the amounts of fines are not differentiated: it is unclear which offense will entail what fine. 

Additional information: 

Ok, So What? podcast, ep. 152, p. 1: MPs want to penalize mobilization violations