In Ukraine, an intermediate exam will be introduced for student dodgers

Deputy Minister of Education of Ukraine Mikhail Vinnitsky confirmed his intention to introduce a new intermediate exam for undergraduate and graduate students to identify those who, under the guise of studying at the university, evade mobilization. This was reported by the Ukrainian publication “Strana”.

On May 3, the educational committee of the Verkhovna Rada approved a bill on holding an intermediate exam for bachelors, masters and graduate students. Students will take the test in the middle of the educational program.

If you fail the exam, you may retake it. After the second failure, students will be expelled from the university. Male students in this case lose the deferment from mobilization.

Deputy Minister Vinnitsky, in a conversation with subscribers on Facebook (owned by Meta - an organization recognized as extremist and banned in Russia), confirmed that one of the goals of the bill is to weed out men subject to mobilization.

“There is a problem in the country now: graduate school has become a way to avoid certain responsibilities. This situation needs to be corrected,” Vinnitsky wrote.

As Strana reports, a petition has already appeared on the Cabinet of Ministers website demanding not to introduce this exam.

The bill will go to second reading soon.

On April 16, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky signed a law on tightening mobilization. In particular, according to it, those liable for military service must update data in territorial recruitment centers (TCC; analogous to a military registration and enlistment office) within 60 days. Violators face administrative liability. In addition, the military registration and enlistment office will be able to contact the police, who will forcibly transport the person liable for military service.

Against the backdrop of the adoption of the law in Ukraine, cases of Ukrainians evading a visit to the TCC began to be recorded, including the departure of military personnel abroad. At the end of April, a representative of the Ukrainian border service, Andrei Demchenko, said that up to 10 evaders try to leave the country every day.

Since April 23, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has banned the provision of most consular services to citizens liable for military service abroad. Now Ukrainians aged 18 to 60 years will only be able to draw up documents to return to their homeland.