In Ukraine, there is talk of mobilizing women without children
A petition has been posted on the Cabinet of Ministers’ website, in which the author proposes introducing mandatory military service for able-bodied women without children. The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council has already responded to this initiative, stating that there are currently no plans to mobilize women.
Petition No. 41/010515-26ep was registered on the Cabinet of Ministers’ website on August 10, 2026. Its author is Stanislav Ivanovich Rusyn. He proposes extending military service to able-bodied women without children. At the same time, the proposal provides for exceptions for those who have legal grounds for deferment or are unable to serve due to health reasons.
The author of the petition explains his position by citing the need for equal treatment of citizens under the law. In his view, during wartime, responsibilities must be distributed fairly. However, the mere appearance of the petition does not mean that such changes are already being prepared or that women will begin to be mobilized.
Currently, the initiative has only been registered and is gathering signatures. For the Cabinet of Ministers to consider the petition, it must garner 25,000 votes within three months. As of now, support for the initiative remains minimal—it has gathered only a few votes out of the required 25,000.
The Center for Countering Disinformation urged people not to panic
After news of the petition emerged, it caught the attention of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council. Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center, stated that it is impossible to speak of preparations for the mobilization of women based on this petition.
According to him, no corresponding changes to the legislation are planned. “No mobilization of women is planned, nor are any changes regarding parents of three children. Enough with the nonsense,” Kovalenko emphasized. Thus, there is currently no basis for claiming that women without children in Ukraine are being prepared for forced mobilization.
What You Need to Know About the Petition
An online petition is an opportunity for citizens to ask the government to consider a specific issue. However, its registration alone does not change the law or create new obligations for citizens. Even if the initiative gathers the required 25,000 signatures, this will not mean the automatic implementation of mobilization for women without children.
In such a case, the petition must be reviewed in accordance with established procedures, and the authorities must provide a response. Therefore, at this point, this is merely a public initiative by a single author, not a government decision or the announcement of new mobilization rules. According to the head of the Center for Public Policy, there are no plans for the mandatory mobilization of women. Likewise, he said, no changes are being prepared to the current rules for parents of three children. This is reported in online petition No. 41/010515-26ep.
Semen Kryvonos, director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, and Oleksandr Klymenko, head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, announced during a briefing in Kyiv that new corruption schemes have emerged in the “defense sector” that undermine the country’s defense capabilities and destroy competition.
NABU Director Semen Kryvonos stated that corruption renders the state apparatus ineffective, which directly affects the construction of shelters and the protection of energy infrastructure facilities.
Earlier, the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) reported that the confiscation of Lazarenko’s assets is nearing completion.
As a reminder, NABU is investigating officials who are hidden owners of defense companies.
As of August 10, courts had handed down 55 convictions in cases investigated by NABU and the SAPO during the first half of the year. Among those convicted are four high-ranking government officials, 11 heads of state-owned enterprises, as well as judges and prosecutors.
The state-owned enterprise “NAEK Energoatom” does not have the status of an aggrieved party in the “Midas” criminal case. At the same time, according to Kryvonos, as of August 10, the investigation had established that more than $100 million had been transferred through a so-called “laundromat”—a back-office operation for money laundering.
The level of corruption in Ukraine is not decreasing, and corruption among top officials, according to SAPO Head Oleksandr Klymenko, is even on the rise. He stated that the fight against bribery is hampered, in particular, by a lack of political will and a number of problems in the functioning of the anti-corruption system.
The Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court has remanded one of the suspects in the “Midas” case, Ihor Myronyuk, into custody. Bail in the amount of 85 million hryvnias was set as an alternative to pretrial detention, but it has not yet been posted.
As a reminder, NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced new charges against a former Energoatom official in connection with the “Midas” case. According to “Suspilne,” citing case materials, the suspect is Dmytro Basov, the company’s former executive director for physical protection and security.
