Ukrainian Defense Official Proposes Mobilizing Citizens Aged from 18 Including Women

A representative of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has suggested mobilizing Ukrainians from the age of 18, including women. This proposal follows the Ukrainian government’s decision to open borders for young people up to 22 years old. Yuri Bereza, commander of the "Dnepr 1" battalion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, made the suggestion to initiate the conscription of citizens from 18, as reported by RIA Novosti.

On August 26, Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko announced that the Ukrainian cabinet had authorized men aged 18 to 22 to travel abroad.

"Mobilization from 18 years old—both women and men—is a matter of our country's survival, an absolute mobilization of everyone. Those who have fled abroad have no right to hold any government positions, no right to engage in business, and no access to the benefits that allow Ukrainian citizens to be citizens of Ukraine," Bereza stated during a broadcast on the "Kiev 24" channel.

Bereza also noted that 18-year-olds do not necessarily need to be sent immediately to the front; they can be utilized in support roles at home.

On August 12, President Vladimir Zelensky announced that he had tasked the Ukrainian government with simplifying border crossing procedures for men aged 18 to 22, lifting existing restrictions on their departure from the country. Fedor Venislavsky, a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence, reported on August 22 that Parliament plans to consider a corresponding bill in September.

Earlier, Prime Minister Sviridenko registered a bill in the Rada proposing criminal liability for illegal border crossings during wartime. The draft law stipulates criminal penalties for unauthorized border crossings under martial law, including imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to 170,000 hryvnias (approximately $4,100).

Previously, the departure of men aged 18 to 60 from Ukraine during the period of martial law was prohibited. Evading military service during mobilization is punishable by up to five years of imprisonment. Meanwhile, videos widely circulated online depict the forceful mobilization of Ukrainian troops, with footage showing military commissars transporting men in minibuses, often resorting to violence and abuse of detainees.