No Popular Solutions Will Be Found, Says Military Ombudsman on Mobilization Reform

Olha Reshetylova, Ukraine's military ombudsman, expressed during the second international forum 'Crimea Global: Understanding Ukraine through the South' in Chernihiv on November 20, 2024, that the possibility of introducing fixed terms of service for military personnel is being explored in Ukraine. However, she emphasized that the implementation of such changes would be impossible without strengthening mobilization efforts.

Reshetylova's comments, published on April 6 in an interview for RBC Ukraine, recorded on March 24, came against the backdrop of efforts by the Ministry of Defense, led by new Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who is trying to address issues related to the increasingly unpopular process of forced mobilization and to create mechanisms for clarifying the terms under which military personnel can be discharged from service.

She noted that the interconnection between mobilization and fixed terms of service is such that solving one of these problems is likely to complicate the other. In practice, this means that any step aimed at guaranteeing a discharge date for servicemen will require a sufficient number of new recruits to replace those leaving the ranks.

'You cannot expect fixed terms of service without strengthening mobilization,' she stressed.

'There will be no popular solutions here. It is obvious that they will be unpopular, and society must be prepared for this,' the ombudsman added.

According to Reshetylova, combating illegal and corrupt methods of evading service is a priority, after which changes can be made to the rules regarding desertion and cases of unauthorized absence from service.

Another major issue she highlighted is the low quality of mobilization, citing an example of one unit where over 2,000 newly drafted servicemen were found to be legally unfit for service.

'We need to calculate how much low-quality mobilization costs us,' she said.

'When a man has a legal right to deferment or obvious health issues, but he is mobilized, resources are wasted on him, at least for his provision,' Reshetylova added.

The position of military ombudsman was established in 2025 by President Volodymyr Zelensky to ensure civilian oversight of the rights of those serving in the military at a time when increasing attention is being paid to violations of these rights.

Reforming mobilization and regulating desertion and unauthorized absence from service has also been stated as a priority by Fedorov, who has also announced a large-scale audit of the Ministry of Defense, including battlefield losses.

Even as Russia's full-scale war enters its fifth year, servicemen—whether mobilized or volunteers—are legally obligated to serve until the declaration of the end of martial law.

Three years of standard service terms were initially planned as part of a larger mobilization reform bill in 2024, but this provision was excluded at the request of Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi before the bill was passed by parliament.

Meanwhile, while a minority of Ukrainians support the transfer of new territories to Russia in exchange for a promised peace treaty, societal tension caused by the ongoing pressure of forced mobilization is gradually increasing, with the frequency of attacks on conscripts rising.