Members of Parliament supported the document in its second reading on October 10. At that time, there were 276 votes in favor, surpassing the required 226.
MP from the "Servant of the People" party and Deputy Chairman of the Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence Yegor Chernev explained that the law "will allow foreigners and stateless individuals to serve in the military in positions ranging from privates, sergeants, and warrant officers to officers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service, and the National Guard of Ukraine," as quoted by the party's website.
Additionally, the document provides for: the establishment of a Recruitment Center for foreigners; the implementation of special verification procedures for foreigners and stateless individuals; regulation of the entry and exit of foreigners to and from Ukraine; and the opportunity for foreigners and stateless individuals to serve in the intelligence agency of the Ministry of Defense.
Chernev noted that the need for the law arose due to, among other things, the challenging situation with the officer personnel in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"We have servicemen from other countries who have served, hold officer ranks, and are ready to join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We have a foreign legion where today officers from Western countries and partner states serve at the level of soldiers or sergeants. Therefore, the adopted bill is intended to allow us to appoint former officers from other countries to officer positions," the MP said.
According to him, "officers of air defense are particularly valuable" for Ukraine.
"We cannot train qualified specialists in one or two months, or even in six months. At the same time, we already have such officers from other countries," Chernev reported.