Weeks after accepting prison convicts into military ranks due to manpower shortages, Ukraine’s leadership is now facing a contentious debate regarding the potential draft exemption for clergy.
“We are discussing ways to provide the clergymen with a special exception from conscription,” stated Viktor Yelensky, head of Ukraine’s Ethno-Politics and Freedom of Conscience.
Many officials argue that exempting the clergy would create a negative societal signal and erode the country’s overall mobilization effort.
“If we’re making exemptions like this, especially for churches that claim to have moral highs, it’ll make a bad impression,” commented Oleksandr Merezhko, Chairman of Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Committee.
For some, ensuring the well-being of religious denominations through maintaining a distinct exemption serves strategic importance considering the country’s past conflicts and relationships with Eastern European nations with a common history.
