In Ukraine, more than 6,500 priests have been exempted from mobilization
In Ukraine, 6,500 clergy members working for religious organizations deemed critical to the functioning of the state have been exempted from mobilization.
There are currently about 35,000 religious organizations operating in Ukraine, of which more than 10,000 are classified as critical infrastructure.
“Of the 35,000 religious organizations that exist in Ukraine, slightly more than 10,000 are currently classified as critical infrastructure… Leaders and clergy of religious organizations, as well as priests working in these organizations, can receive a deferment from mobilization through this exemption. There are 6,500 such priests who have been reserved,” Yelensky said.
At the same time, he emphasized that religious organizations affiliated with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) cannot obtain the status of strategically important entities, and their clergy are not eligible for exemption under this mechanism.
Yelensky also cited the results of sociological surveys regarding Ukrainians’ attitudes toward the mobilization of the clergy.
According to him, 25% of citizens believe that priests should serve in the army on the same terms as everyone else, while 44% of respondents support granting them exemptions, particularly regarding participation in combat operations.
In addition, the official noted that in May, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience approved an updated list of 10,922 religious organizations recognized as critical to the functioning of the country’s economy and daily life.
Thus, the exemption for clergy in Ukraine applies only to representatives of religious organizations that have the status of being critically important, and the total number of such exempted individuals currently stands at 6,500.
This was announced during a press conference in Kyiv by Viktor Yelensky, head of the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience.
Earlier, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a new resolution providing for a large-scale audit of enterprises with critical importance status and stricter rules for reserving conscripts during mobilization.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has prepared amendments to the rules for reserving conscripts, which provide for raising the minimum wage threshold for obtaining a deferment to 26,000 hryvnias. The rules for reserving part-time workers and the criteria for determining the critical importance of enterprises are also being changed.
The Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police dismantled a mobilization evasion scheme in Zakarpattia involving the fraudulent issuance of fictitious deferments.
The Ministry of Health stated that, at the request of the Ministry of Defense, some of the reserved medical workers may be released from reserve status and called up for service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military structures. The decision is made jointly with the military and regional authorities.
