Following the example of Israel: how a new generation of Ukrainians wants to prepare for the defense of the Motherland
In 2022, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, declared that the future of Ukraine is “Greater Israel” in Eastern Europe. Then he repeatedly emphasized that Israel’s experience in the functioning of the state (especially in the field of defense) is an excellent example for us. The law on mobilization has been passed, but now it is proposed to pass a bill on initial military training for almost everyone, including schoolchildren and students.
How will this possibly work and are we really going the way of Israel?
The Verkhovna Rada is considering draft law No. 11092 on amendments to some laws of Ukraine regarding improvement of the system of initial combined military training, where it is stated that its purpose is the formation of the first general military knowledge and special competencies in defense awareness among young people, familiarization with the place and role of a citizen in the context of the duty of armed defense of Ukraine.
According to this draft law, initial military training will begin at the third level of secondary education, i.e. in grades 10-11 or in the 2nd-3rd year of a college/technical school/VET. Young people will be taught the subject “Defense of Ukraine”, for which a corresponding curriculum is already being developed. The innovation will also be extended to girls – the bill does not define gender restrictions and speaks of “citizens of Ukraine” in general.
This update somewhat resembles the previous practice, when schools had the subject “Defense of the Fatherland”. However, now the attitude to this preparation will be much more serious, because not only schoolchildren and college students will be involved in this process, but also those seeking higher education. From 2025, mandatory military training for every man will be introduced in all higher educational institutions of Ukraine, although it remains unchanged for girls, but they can also join these courses at their own will. At the same time, everyone must have time to undergo basic military training before reaching the age of 25, after which the citizen’s data is entered into the register of conscripts, who, according to the law, can be mobilized immediately after reaching the age of majority. However, students are eligible for a deferment from military service if they are studying.
Refusal to study basic military affairs without valid reasons is subject to administrative liability in the form of a fine of 850 hryvnias. In other words, according to the new legislation, the subject “Defense of Ukraine”, which was previously of little importance for students, will become a necessary course that must be studied both in schools and in other educational institutions.
In Ukraine, the strictness of laws is often compensated by their optional implementation – this is the specificity of our legal system. However, it is obvious that the authorities take the new “war” laws quite seriously and plan to implement them. In particular, combined military training from the school bench partially solves the fundamental problem of the country – the lack of people in the army. In this way, the country will receive millions of new conscripts in an absolutely legal way, although the quality of the qualifications of these conscripts remains an unanswered question.
If the law is adopted, a number of new corruption risks may be created. Undoubtedly, there will be ways to officially or semi-officially “avoid” military training, get an exemption or complete it later. Not necessarily everyone will act in this way, but opportunities for this will exist. There is also no doubt that the state will react to this, probably by strengthening legislative norms. This is quite understandable, because the need for people for the army remains relevant.
Therefore, Ukraine is heading along a path similar to Israel’s: maximum militarization, a tendency towards general military conscription of all citizens, the priority of the defense and security sector over all other spheres, etc., which is absolutely logical in the context of the general military situation. At the same time, people also want, if they become the “second Israel”, to receive an average salary of several thousand dollars, quality medicine and world-class education, broad social guarantees from the state, and the absence of corruption.
