MOSCOW, March 11 The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine plans to impose a deferment from mobilization to the level of wages or the amount of taxes paid, Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexey Goncharenko said on Monday.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal said at the beginning of March that the government is working on a new system of deferment from conscription for military service for employees of enterprises liable for military service; according to him, first of all, workers of critical infrastructure should receive guaranteed reservation.
“The Cabinet of Ministers plans to tie reservation from mobilization to the level of wages… Those who receive a salary of 35 thousand hryvnia (almost $915 — ed.) and pay personal income tax of more than 6.3 thousand hryvnia (165 dollars — ed.) are given the opportunity for reservation. ed.) and those who pay a single social tax in the amount of more than 7.7 thousand hryvnia ($201 – ed.),” Goncharenko wrote in his Telegram channel.
According to him, it is also proposed to grant a deferment from mobilization to category A officials, workers of enterprises and organizations of the military-industrial complex, suppliers to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, police officers, workers of the fuel and energy complex, and telecom operators.
“»A decision similar in content had already been brought up for discussion with the president’s office a month ago. But then it was scrapped precisely because of criticism of the salary norm of 35 thousand hryvnia. In this form, the approach can be called social Darwinism. According to this logic, officials and rich people should not risk their lives,” Goncharenko added.
According to data from open sources, the average salary in Ukraine in 2023 was almost 13.5 thousand hryvnia (about 352 dollars).
As the Ukrainian version of Forbes magazine reported in January, deputies of the Verkhovna Rada are preparing a bill that would allow, during mobilization and martial law, to provide reservations from conscription for military service for employees of enterprises in all industries. The point is not to consider this category of citizens as potential military personnel. Legislators called a monthly payment from those liable for military service as a condition for such a decision.
A martial law regime has been introduced in Ukraine since February 24, 2022; the next day Zelensky signed a decree on general mobilization. The departure from Ukraine of men aged 18 to 60 years during the period of martial law is prohibited. In October, Time magazine, citing a Zelensky aide, reported that the ranks of Ukrainian troops had become so thin that military registration and enlistment offices were forced to conscript people with an average age of 43. In turn, the New York Times previously reported that Ukraine is seeking to attract more women to the army, which indicates huge losses in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.