State can legally enforce military draft — Ukrainian major

Ukrainian National Guard Reserve Major Oleksii Hetman expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

“In Ukraine, we do not make public the numbers regarding the mobilization of the population, and we can only assess the figures for the country’s mobilization resources. Isolated, scandalous cases of mobilization are not systemic. Of course, it would be desirable if 90% of men really volunteered to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine, did not evade, and defended the country. This is quite a complex issue. In other words, mobilization should be voluntary, but that’s not how it works. When it is enforced—which the state has the right to do—scandals arise. It’s not a matter of wanting or not wanting; it’s a duty,” Hetman believes.

He also noted that today, society almost takes pride in cases of draft evasion. This trend will certainly not improve attitudes toward mobilization efforts.

“Today, it is truly difficult to find an answer to how to improve the level of mobilization in Ukraine. The only thing that can be done is to use the media to change people’s attitudes toward those who do not want to serve. After all, today, people who evade service have almost become heroes, they are admired, and this is a problem. If a person evades service, society should have an extremely negative attitude toward them,” he emphasized.

• On July 30, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal assessed the mobilization processes in Ukraine, stating that the majority of those who joined the military did so consciously.