Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Jan. 14 said he signed a decree ordering three waves of military mobilization in 2015.
“I’m going to sign that decree and hand it over to parliament because a
parliamentary decision to that effect is needed as well,” Poroshenko told a
meeting in Kyiv.
He said the reason for this decision was a violence upsurge in eastern
Ukraine. There had been increasingly frequent attacks over the past few days on
Ukrainian army and law enforcement checkpoints and on Ukrainian-controlled
territories, the president said, mentioning that 12 civilians had died as a
shell hit a bus near Volnovakha.
The National Security and Defense Council last month approved a plan to hold
three waves of mobilization – one in January, one in April and one in June.
Defense Ministry spokeswoman Viktoria Kushnir said the first wave would start on
January 20 and that about 50,000 draftees and reservists would join the military
during it.
Last year’s third wave of mobilization finished on September 9. During the
first two waves, 71 military and paramilitary units were put on combat
alert.
Poroshenko said he was planning a decree on demobilization as well.
“A decree on demobilization is being prepared, I’m planning to sign it
shortly, immediately after mobilization is launched in order to preclude a
decline in battle readiness,” he said.
He denied that the draftees would be involved in the military operation in
the east.
Besides, the president’s decree on demobilization posted on Verkhovna Rada’s
website indicates the definite terms of demobilization.
According to the document, from March 18 by May 1, 2015 the servicemen, who
have been conscripted for a military service during the mobilization for a
special period under the president’s decree No. 303 as of March 17, 2014, must
be demobilized.
