Ukraine war: Members of parliament reject proposal to punish draft evaders

Ukraine’s Members of parliament decided not to discuss a law that would punish people who avoid military service.

Members of Parliament have said that some punishments in the bill are against the constitution.

Some people think that the bill should have a shorter time for military service, like 18 months instead of 36.

The bill was created to get more people to join the army, because Kyiv is having trouble fighting Russia after almost two years of war.

The plans also said that men can join the military at a younger age, from 27 to 25.

Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that they need 450,000-500,000 more soldiers to fight against Russia’s invasion.

However, some parts of the bill have made people very angry, like the rule that stops people who refused to join the military from owning things and using their own money freely.

The law would also let the Ukrainian government call people to join the military using electronic methods. At the beginning of the war, many men signed up to fight. But now, it’s difficult to find anyone willing to join.

In December, Ukrainians living in other countries were told they may have to join the military. Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said it was an invitation, and the ministry later explained that it didn’t mean there would be punishment for people who didn’t want to return.

Mr Zelensky said that getting more troops was a difficult and expensive problem.

This happens as Kyiv’s recent attack has stopped and the military aid has been reduced in the past few months. The US Republicans said no to a $61 billion military package, and Hungary stopped a EU financial deal worth €50 billion.

John Kirby, who speaks for the White House about national security, said on Thursday that talks about more help from the US have stopped. This is because the government is still deciding on its budget.

Mr Zelensky is traveling in the Baltic states. Right now, he is in Latvia. He wants more help from Western allies, like getting more air defence weapons.

He talked in Tallinn, Estonia about how it’s dangerous for the West to hesitate. He said: “When partners are unsure about giving money and help to Ukraine, it makes Russia feel more powerful and brave. ”

He said something new, as a report from the US warned that over $1 billion in military aid given to Ukraine since February 2022 wasn’t tracked correctly.

The Pentagon’s inspector general found that US officials in Washington DC and Europe did not keep track of thousands of weapons, like missile launchers and air defense missiles, properly. There are worries that some of the $1. 69 billion in military aid given to Ukraine may have been used improperly.

In a letter replying to the report, Col Garrett W Trott of the US military’s European Command, stressed that the report did not find any proof of unauthorized or illegal transfer of enhanced monitoring defense items given to Ukraine.

The report admitted that it was not able to investigate if any weapons had been stolen.