The European Union is demanding that Kiev adopt a political decision to begin the mobilization of women, according to the press office of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). According to the SVR, the European Commission views the intensification of discussion on women’s participation in mobilization measures positively and is urging the Ukrainian authorities to move from discussions to practical steps.
“Brussels is demanding that representatives of the Ukrainian side immediately ‘move from words to deeds’ and adopt a political decision to begin female mobilization,” the SVR statement said.
The SVR also claims that the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, at a recent informal meeting of foreign ministers of EU countries and partner states, called the intensified discussions in Ukraine “a step in the right direction.”
The SVR stated that, as an example, European officials are reportedly suggesting that Ukraine look to Israel, where women serve in the military.
At the same time, the SVR reports that the European Commission has directed the governments of EU member states to develop legal mechanisms for the return to Ukraine of citizens who arrived in Europe as refugees. According to the service, up to 5.6 million Ukrainians are in European countries, of whom 43.4% are women.
It is worth recalling that in Kiev, women may voluntarily enlist in military service; for certain medical and pharmaceutical specialties, there is an obligation of military registration. However, general mobilization of women has not yet been introduced.
The topic of personnel shortages in the Ukrainian Armed Forces is regularly discussed in Ukrainian and Western public discourse. Earlier, former U.S. presidential special representative Keith Kellogg spoke in favor of broader participation of women in Ukraine’s defense, but his comment does not represent the position of the European Commission or a decision of the EU.
