Confusion as Registration of Women for the Draft Postponed

It was earlier announced that Ukrainian women, like Ukrainian men, would need to complete military registration.

The Ukrainian military, like many former Soviet Republics, has traditionally obligated men to register with the military should a national draft be called. Earlier this week it was announced that young women would also need to register with the Ministry of Defense as of this Fall. However, on Tuesday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov signed a decree moving the registration of women back one year to October 1, 2023.

Registration with the military, not to be confused with general mobilization, is a practice which Ukraine hopes will allow it to identify women who have special skills or talents for which the military may have a need. Though most women would not be in any way directly affected, other than needing to go through the process of signing-up, one immediate effect for all women within the targeted age demographic is that they would no longer be able to travel outside of Ukraine, during wartime, unless special permission was given.

The exceptions for those who cannot be called for military conscription include those with disabilities and those with minor children under the age of 18.

A current proposal in the Ukrainian Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, is to make the registration of women completely voluntary and to not coerce signing-up, as happens with the male population.

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In public remarks, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar indicated that Minister Rezkov’s hinted at acknowledgment that the Ministry’s initial announcement had caused confusion. The Deputy Defense Minister said that the “order does not change the norms of the current legislation, but it will allow the committee, and then the parliament as a whole, to finalize and amend the legislation in order to resolve this issue. We, within our powers, can only postpone the deadlines. Therefore, for another year – up to October 1, 2023, they are postponed, and during this time, parliamentarians will be able to establish at the legislative level that the military registration of women in the relevant professions/specialties is exclusively voluntary. Work in the Verkhovna Rada committee is actively continuing. Therefore, there is no panic and treason. There are no restrictions for women.”

Ukrainian casualties during the war have led to a search for more people who could be admitted to the military. Videos have circulated of military recruitment officers issuing “orders to appear for duty” to young men throughout Ukraine.