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Protesters rally in Ukraine demanding demobilization, rotation for Ukrainian soldiers

The protests took place in Kiev, Poltava and Odessa

MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/. Ukrainian draftees’ relatives have hit the streets in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities demanding that those who were mobilized into the Ukrainian armed forces at the very beginning of the conflict be demobilized or at least replaced, the Ukrainian news website Telegraf reported.

The protesters, who have gathered in Kiev’s Independence Square, are holding banners saying "Demobilization for our defenders!", "My husband has already been at war for 586 days. It’s time for others" and some others with similar content. The relatives point out that their loved ones in the army "are exhausted both physically and morally." According to the news website, similar protests are taking place in Odessa and Poltava.

Ukraine’s Law ‘On Military Duty and Military Service’ does not determine the period of military duty for the draftees mobilized during martial law, so the protesters urge the authorities to solve this problem the soonest possible.

In February 2022, Ukraine declared a nationwide military call-up, which has been repeatedly extended since. The country’s authorities have spared no effort to prevent military-age males from dodging military service. Draft notices are handed out in public institutions, on the streets and during public gatherings. In September, Ukraine expanded the list of categories eligible for the military draft and shortened the list of medical contraindications. In October, the Education Ministry sent an explanatory note to all the universities, saying that students can be mobilized during their academic leave. In addition, the country passed a law obliging all the women aged 18 to 60, who have been qualified as a doctor, dentist, midwife, nurse, or pharmacist, to register for military service.

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