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Ukrainian lawmakers have passed the first reading of a bill designed to bolster military mobilization efforts amid the ongoing war with Russia.

The bill, aimed at enhancing Ukraine’s defensive capabilities, proposes lowering the minimum age for combat duty to 25 and introduces stricter measures to prevent draft evasion, including the necessity for up-to-date military registrations for Ukrainians abroad and asset freezes for those evading the draft.

Despite the emphasis on reinforcement, the bill proposes an option for soldiers who have served for 36 months continuously during the war to be discharged, though this is not guaranteed to be automatic.

The urgency of the mobilization bill is set against a backdrop of increasing tension between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and military leadership, with Zelenskyy highlighting in December the military’s desire to mobilize up to half a million individuals.