The Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence has officially refuted rumors about the preparation for the mobilization of women in Ukraine. As RBC-Ukraine reports, citing a post by the relevant committee on Facebook, at the present time there is not a single bill or other legislative initiative in the parliament that would provide for the conscription of women. The committee emphasized that this is not only about the absence of ready-made documents, but also about the absence of even internal discussions on this issue.
Official position of the relevant committee
The committee's statement specifically notes that Ukrainian women may join the Defense Forces exclusively on a voluntary basis. There is currently no mandatory mobilization of women in Ukraine, and no preparation for it is underway. Thus, the position of the relevant parliamentary body is that any talk of the forced conscription of women has no legislative basis and does not reflect the actual work of the Verkhovna Rada.
Reaction to statements by individual speakers
The committee directly stated that public statements by individual speakers about the possible mandatory mobilization of women do not correspond to the current work of the parliament and the position of the relevant committee. The parliament called on citizens not to fall for information manipulation and, when assessing reports of possible changes to mobilization rules, to rely exclusively on official sources. This statement is effectively aimed at reducing the information noise, which, according to the committee's assessment, is not supported by facts.
Confirmation from the CCEC
The position of the Verkhovna Rada committee was earlier supported by the head of the Central Conscription and Mobilization Center / CCEC, Andriy Kovalenko, who stated that no forced mobilization of women is taking place or planned in Ukraine. According to him, women join the Defense Forces exclusively on a voluntary basis. The alignment of positions between the parliamentary committee and the leadership of the conscription system reinforces the official line that the issue of women's mobilization is not on the agenda.
Contradictory data
Despite the consistent official denials, an element of tension persists in the public sphere. On the website of the Cabinet of Ministers, a petition was registered on August 10, 2026, calling for the introduction of mandatory military service for able-bodied women without children. The author of the initiative proposes to provide exceptions for those who have legal grounds for deferment or who cannot serve due to their health condition. On the one hand, this is a citizen initiative, not a bill, and it does not change the committee's official position on the absence of work on conscription. On the other hand, its appearance, together with statements by individual speakers, creates the impression among part of the audience of a possible movement in this direction, which gives rise to a contradiction between the "official zero" and the public discussion.
Context and expert assessments
The topic of women's service in the armed forces of Ukraine is periodically raised in the expert and public space, where foreign experience is drawn upon for comparison. In analytical materials, in particular on the Focus portal, it is noted that transferring models, for example the Israeli experience, to Ukrainian realities is not directly applicable due to differences in legal, demographic and military conditions. This indicates that the discussion of the role of women in the Defense Forces is ongoing, but it remains at the level of discussion rather than legislative preparation, which is consistent with the position of the relevant Verkhovna Rada committee.
