A petition has appeared on the e-petition website of the President of Ukraine, proposing to allow members of religious communities to perform alternative, non-military service during wartime instead of traditional military draft, in accordance with their religious beliefs.
The appeal asks for amending the legislation so that members of religious communities could perform alternative service during martial law if their religious beliefs conflict with participation in hostilities. The initiative has already gained over 4,000 votes within 24 hours.
The legislation already provides for the possibility of alternative service in peacetime, but does not regulate it during martial law. The petition draws attention to the need to expand this opportunity, citing examples from the Constitution of Ukraine, which supports the rights of citizens to freely express their religious beliefs, even in times of crisis.
The text of the petition also points to the problem of refusal to replace military service with non-military service by the Territorial Military Draft Offices. The absence of an appropriate regulatory framework creates legal jeopardy and uncertainty for citizens whose religious beliefs conflict with mandatory military conscription.
