Military registration of women postponed to 10/01/2023

We would like to inform you that by Order of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine No. 259 dated 09/06/2022, which entered into force on 09/22/2022, the deadline for taking women on military registration has been postponed to 10/01/2023.

Since recently conflicting information about the military registration of women has been posted in the media and social networks, below we offer you our legal commentary on this issue, which is based on an analysis of the provisions of the current legislation (taking into account the above order of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine).

So, as provided for by parts 11-12 of Article 1 of the Law of Ukraine “On Military Duty and Military Service”, women who have a specialty and / or profession related to the corresponding military specialty, defined in the list approved by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and suitable for military service for health reasons and age, are taken on the military account of those liable for military service.

At the same time, women registered with the military may be called up for military service or recruited to perform work to ensure the defense of the state in wartime.

However, by Order of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine No. 35 dated February 7, 2022, the above list was amended by reducing it to the 21 variety of specialties, providing for the registration of women in the military.

For example, among other things, such specialties as river and sea transport, water engineering, shipbuilding, law and law enforcement, secretaries, lawyers and many others were excluded from this list. However, such specialties as accounting and taxation, marketing, management, entrepreneurship, economics, finance, banking and insurance, and translators remained on the list.

Order of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine No. 35 dated 02/07/2022 also provided that women whose professions are covered by the above list should be registered with the military from 10/01/2022.

By the latest Order of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine No. 259 dated 09/06/2022, the above period was postponed by one year – namely, to 10/01/2023.

Thus, as of today, women, regardless of their professions and specialties, are not yet subject to mandatory military registration, and therefore, not being taken to military registration, are not considered liable for military service in the understanding of parts 11-12 of Article 1 of the Law of Ukraine «On Military duties and military service».

It should also be noted that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is also considering draft law No. 6482, which proposes to amend Article 1 of the Law of Ukraine “On Military Duty and Military Service” and provide for mandatory military registration only for women with a specialty and / or profession related to medical activities, and for all other professions and specialties – exclusively on a voluntary basis. This bill has already been considered by the Parliament in the first reading.