The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted government bill No. 12023, which allows foreigners and stateless persons to perform military service under contract in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service and the National Guard. This step is an important change in Ukrainian legislation, which will allow attracting not only privates and sergeants, but also officers from other countries to the ranks of the Armed Forces. 276 people’s deputies voted for this bill, Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported in his Telegram channel.
As Yehor Chernev, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, noted, this law is designed to solve a number of important tasks facing the Ukrainian armed forces. One of the main tasks is strengthening the personnel potential of the officer corps, which is currently critically important due to the difficult situation at the front.
The bill offers several key innovations:
- Creation of the Center for Recruiting Foreigners, which will help attract specialists from other countries.
- Special checks of foreigners and stateless persons, which will ensure reliability and safety during their recruitment.
- Regulation of the entry and exit of foreigners from Ukraine, which will facilitate the procedure of staying in the country during service.
- A permit to serve in the intelligence agencies of the Ministry of Defense, which opens up opportunities to apply the knowledge and experience of foreign military personnel in strategically important units.
Chernev explained that this legislative initiative arose due to the urgent need to increase mobilization resources. In the conditions of a protracted war, Ukraine faces personnel problems, especially among officers. Officers with combat experience and specific skills, such as air defense specialists, are extremely valuable because their training requires a long time that is not currently available.
Because of this, foreign military personnel who previously served as officers in the armies of Western countries will be able to join the ranks of the Ukrainian forces no longer as soldiers or sergeants, but at a level that corresponds to their qualifications. The move also expands opportunities for the Foreign Legion, which serves troops from different countries.
