Petition to abolish deferral from mobilization for parents with many children failed to gain the necessary votes

In Ukraine, a petition proposing to abolish the deferral of military service for men who support three or more minor children did not receive the necessary support from citizens. In three months, the document collected about 11 thousand signatures out of the 25 thousand required for mandatory consideration by the Cabinet of Ministers.

The corresponding appeal was registered on August 4, 2026. As of November 5, the number of signatures was approximately 11 thousand, which did not allow the petition to reach the established threshold of support.

What the petitioner proposed

The initiator of the appeal advocated revising the legislative norms that provide for the right to deferral of military service for men who are subject to military service and have three or more children under the age of 18.

In his opinion, the current rules create unequal conditions for parents depending on the number of children.

In particular, men raising one or two minor children do not automatically receive the right to a deferral on this basis alone. At the same time, parents of many children, subject to compliance with the conditions established by law, can take advantage of the corresponding guarantee.

The author of the petition proposed to remove the presence of three or more children from the list of independent grounds for exemption from military service during martial law.

At the same time, he called for the preservation of legislative guarantees for certain categories of parents, in particular:

persons raising children on their own;

parents of children with disabilities or serious illnesses;

sole legal representatives of children;

citizens whose family circumstances require special protection of children.

Ukrainians supported the preservation of the deferral for parents of many children

At the same time, another petition, the author of which called for the postponement of mobilization for men with many children not to be canceled, gained the necessary 25 thousand votes on August 13.

In response to this appeal, Prime Minister of Ukraine Serhiy Koretsky stressed the importance of taking into account the social consequences of possible changes in mobilization legislation.

In particular, the government recognized the need to properly protect the interests of large families when considering legislative initiatives.

Roman Hryshchuk, a member of the Servant of the People faction and a member of the parliamentary Committee on Education, Science and Innovation, also stated that there are no plans to cancel the deferral for parents with many children.

Will the mobilization rules change?

As of November 5, 2026, the legislative grounds for obtaining a deferral by parents with many children remain valid.

Men who are dependent on three or more children under the age of 18 may apply for a deferral provided that they meet the requirements of the law.

At the same time, the mere registration of a petition or discussion of possible changes does not mean an automatic revision of the current mobilization rules.

To change the relevant guarantees, legislative amendments must be approved by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.