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Ukrainian troops holding last-ditch defense, says commander

According to the broadcast of the session, 283 deputies voted for the bill, 21 voted against and 15 abstained

MOSCOW, April 11. /TASS/. The Ukrainian army is holding its last-ditch defense, Joint Forces Commander Yury Sodol said in the country’s parliament on Thursday.

"We are holding out with our last strength," the commander said in a video posted by Ukrainian lawmaker Zhan Belenyuk.

In this regard, the commander urged the legislature to adopt a bill on tightening mobilization rules.

The Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament) adopted later on Thursday in the second and final reading a controversial bill on tightening the rules of mobilization in Ukraine.

According to the broadcast of the session, 283 deputies voted for the bill, 21 voted against and 15 abstained. Thus, the law was passed by a simple majority.

The provisions of the document stipulate tightening the mobilization procedure, including penalties for dodging the call-up and clarifying the categories of citizens subject to mobilization.

As a result, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are expected to be mobilized. The Strana media outlet estimated Ukraine's mobilization potential at about 700,000 people. Earlier, the Ukrainian authorities spoke about the need to mobilize about 500,000 people, although they specified later that this figure would be slightly lowered.

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