Venislavsky commented on Koretsky's remarks regarding the demobilization of military personnel
Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of parliament from the “Servant of the People” party, called on Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi not to use the word “demobilization” during martial law. This was his response to the prime minister’s statement regarding the need to rotate military personnel who have been on active duty for an extended period. At the same time, Venislavsky confirmed that the government is considering possible changes regarding the retention and discharge of certain categories of military personnel.
The prime minister had previously emphasized that the government must address two important tasks: preventing an economic downturn and providing military personnel with a clearer understanding of the prospects for rotation. Koretskyi pointed out that military personnel have been serving for a long time, and some of them are wounded, go missing, or are killed in action. According to him, these circumstances must be taken into account, and efforts must be made to rotate those who have been serving for a long time. “There is a natural need: there are those who are wounded, there are those who, unfortunately, are missing in action, and there are, unfortunately, those who have been killed. That is one aspect. The second is that we need to demobilize and rotate those who have been serving for a long time,” the prime minister stated.
In response, Venislavsky emphasized that, in his opinion, it is inappropriate to discuss demobilization during martial law. He urged a distinction between general demobilization and the discharge of specific categories of military personnel. “There can be no demobilization, in principle, a priori. There may be the discharge of certain categories of individuals, who will be defined by relevant laws and presidential decrees,” the member of parliament stated.
Authorities are working on changes regarding discharge from service
Venislavsky also reported that government agencies are considering possible changes to the rules governing the deferment and discharge from military service of certain categories of individuals. According to him, this work is ongoing, and preliminary estimates are already available. At the same time, the MP did not disclose specific figures or details of the possible changes. “Is the issue of changing the rules for conscription and discharge from military service for certain individuals being considered? Yes, it is. Are there specific figures or estimates? Yes, there are. I cannot disclose them,” Venislavsky said.
He added that the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, and the Army Command are working on these issues. The Army Command oversees a network of territorial recruitment and social support centers—TRCs and SSCs. According to the lawmaker, the work concerns possible changes to the rules for enlistment and discharge from service. However, Venislavsky did not specify any concrete decisions, timelines for their adoption, or a list of service members who might be affected.
Thus, the lawmaker’s statement does not mean that the issue of military rotation has been taken off the table. Venislavsky insists that the discussion should focus on the possible discharge of specific categories of military personnel, rather than on demobilization in general. At the same time, according to him, the authorities continue to work on the relevant changes. Fedir Venislavsky commented on Serhiy Koretsky’s statement in an interview with Radio Liberty.
Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi stated that the government will review the criteria for determining critically important enterprises, and that 100% exemption from mobilization will no longer be automatic, even for the energy and defense industries.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi stated that the ability to exempt 100% of employees from mobilization creates conditions for abuse. According to him, some enterprises may exempt their entire workforce, even if some employees do not actually perform critically important tasks. The government is working on changes to the exemption system, but the final rules have not yet been published.
