The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has confirmed that a draft law establishing clear terms of military service has already been prepared in several versions. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Defense Liubov Halan during a speech in the Verkhovna Rada in response to a question addressed to the government. According to her, the document is currently undergoing active internal development within the government and has not yet been submitted to parliament.
Current Stage of the Document
Halan emphasized that work on the draft law has not stopped and, in her estimation, is proceeding «very actively». The Ministry of Defense is preparing multiple options of the document simultaneously, indicating that the final wording has not yet been finalized. As the deputy minister noted, the drafting process is taking place not only within the government but also in cooperation with the military-political leadership, whom the draft law will directly affect.
What Is Being Discussed at the Current Stage
According to Halan, the key issue right now is determining which specific version of the draft law will be implemented. That is why, she said, the document is in the phase of coordination between departments and leadership rather than the stage of submission to the Rada. Specific timelines for submitting the draft law to parliament were not announced during her speech.
Context: Transition to a Contract Army
The initiative regarding clear service terms fits into Ukraine's broader plan to transition to a contract army model. As previously reported, citizens who have already been mobilized will also be able to sign such contracts. The introduction of fixed service terms followed by a deferment is viewed as one of the instruments of this transformation.
Previous Statements in This Direction
As a reminder, back in March, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Pavlo Palisa stated that clear service terms with a deferment after the end of the contract are being prepared for all military personnel in Ukraine. Thus, the position voiced by Halan in the Rada confirms that the work on this direction, initiated earlier, is ongoing and has moved into the stage of preparing specific legislative texts.
Summary: At present, the draft law on service terms is in the active preparation phase—the document has been formulated in several editions, is being coordinated within the government and with the military-political leadership, and its final version and submission dates to parliament have not yet been determined.
