Kyiv, December 21, 2014 – According to the decisions, made at the NSDC meeting, in 2015 Ukraine will have three waves of mobilization and an increase in national security and defense expenditures. Such information was presented by the ATO spokesman, Colonel Andriy Lysenko during his press briefing at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
Namely, in 2015 the expenditures on national security and defense will amount UAH 86 bln, which is nearly 5% of the state GDP. During the NSDC meeting, the President of Ukraine emphasized that «the priority for state’s existance is defense, protection of state’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.»
Additionally, three waves of mobilization are scheduled for 2015. The first wave will begin on January 20, and will last for 90 days. The two following waves plan to start in April and in June; they will last for 60 days. The conscription will be restarted; the duration of the military service will be extended to 18 months, for those with higher education – to one year (currently – one year and nine months correspondingly). According to the decisions made, the age of recruited citizens will be between 20 and 27 (previously it was 18-25). Such measures will enable phased demobilization and the rotation of Ukrainian soldiers at the frontlines. Petro Poroshenko noted that only “well physically and mentally prepared patriots of Ukraine, who have the sufficient professional military preparation and are capable of defending the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine with arms in their hands” will be drafted to Ukraine’s army.
The situation in Eastern Ukraine remains tense. There were no deaths of Ukrainian soldiers; four serviceman got injured. For the past 24 hours, terrorists shelled the positions of Ukrainian soldires for 21 times; Donetsk city airport was shelled using small arms. Artillery and mortar shelling took place near Shumy, Opytne, Hranitne, Mayorske, Nikishuno localities (Donetsk region). Due to the military actions in the region, the gas pipeline near Krasnyi Oktyabr (Stanytsa-Luhansk region) was damaged; 376 houses are not supplied with gas.
Andryi Lysenko also told that the Russian Federation began the unilateral preparation for sending the tenth «humanitarian aid convoy.» Taking into account that the representatives of the International Red Cross Organization do not take part in the convoy movement, officers of the Ukrainian border control and customs servicescan only observe the movement of the convoy. The visual control is performed by two joint border contol and customs units at Russian «Donetsk» and «Matveev Kurgan» border checkpoints. Additionally, eight trucks of the Ukrainian branch of the International Red Cross Organization, filled with food, medicine and hygene products passed through the «Makarovo» checkpoint.
