Ukraine war: Kyiv passes controversial law to fill army ranks, as Russian strikes destroy power plant

Ukraine’s parliament passed a bill on Thursday to overhaul the rules governing how the military mobilises civilians into its ranks

The legislation, which must be signed by President Zelensky before it becomes law, is seen as crucial for Ukraine to address manpower problems

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Ukraine’s parliament passed a law on Thursday that will govern how the country recruits new conscripts. Photo: AP

Published: 5:34pm, 11 Apr 2024

Ukraine’s parliament passed a bill on Thursday to overhaul the rules governing how the military mobilises civilians into its ranks as the war rages on with no end in sight.

The legislation, which must be signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky before it becomes law, is seen as crucial for Ukraine to address what military analysts say are major manpower problems as it fights a better armed and larger foe.

The bill was passed in its final reading with a majority of 283 votes after months of deliberations, Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a lawmaker for the Holos party, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

A full, final text with all the amendments was not immediately published on the parliament’s websites.

It was clear the bill sets no limit for the length of time that mobilised soldiers have to serve during the war, a highly sensitive issue for the many thousands of people who joined the army when Russia’s launched its full-scale invasion.

Lawmaker Oleksandr Fedienko said the adoption of the law on mobilisation sent a “message to our partners that we are ready to retake our territory, and we need weapons.”

Ukraine has lowered the military conscription age from 27 to 25 in an effort to replenish its depleted ranks after more than two years of war following Russia’s full-scale invasion. Photo: AP

On the battlefield, Russian missiles and drones struck Ukrainian power facilities across five regions in a major attack on Thursday, officials said, ratcheting up pressure on the embattled energy system as Ukraine’s stocks of air defences dwindle.