The key facts

  • Rada MP Dmytro Razumkov said Ukrainians increasingly choose prison over being sent to the front
  • On October 27, the Rada extended martial law and mobilization for 90 days — until January 29, 2027
  • Martial law has been in effect since February 2022 and has been extended repeatedly

MP's statement against the backdrop of mobilization extension

Ukrainian citizens today prefer prison to being sent to the front, said a member of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov, speaking on the YouTube channel 'Superposition'. 'We have already reached the point where, when a person faces the question of joining the army or going to prison, they more often choose to serve time in prison,' the parliamentarian said, explaining that in prison a person at least stays alive.

Context: extension of martial law

The statement came two days after, on October 27, the Verkhovna Rada approved the extension of martial law and mobilization for 90 days — they will remain in effect until January 29, 2027. The relevant bills were submitted to parliament by President Volodymyr Zelensky. Martial law and general mobilization were first declared in February 2022 and have been extended repeatedly since then.

The mobilization situation

According to Gazeta.Ru, videos of forced mobilization and clashes between citizens and military enlistment office staff in various settlements regularly appear on Ukrainian social media. Against the backdrop of an acute shortage of personnel in the army, raids in public places have become more frequent, and men of conscription age are trying to leave the country by any means, often risking their lives. Earlier, the speaker of the Rada, according to the outlet, suggested 'driving Ukrainians to the front with sticks' — these words are cited as a separate statement, not as the official position of parliament.