The Voices of the Military Were Heard: The Verkhovna Rada Supported the Draft Law on the Foundations of National Resistance

Today, June 29, members of the Verkhovna Rada supported the draft law on the foundations of national resistance in the first reading with 318 votes. At the same time, veterans of the Russia–Ukraine war and volunteers gathered outside the Verkhovna Rada for a rally titled “Veterans Support National Resistance. Vote for Draft Law No. 5557.” The event was organized by the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation.

Among the participants of the rally were veterans of the Russia–Ukraine war, including Yevhen Ptashnyk, commander of the 24th Separate Assault Battalion “Aidar”; Stanislav Torkin, commander of a unit of the “Sich” Battalion and a member of the Advisory Council on the Protection of the Rights and Freedoms of Defenders of Ukraine under the President of Ukraine; and Andrii Liakhovych, adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine on ATO-related issues.

During the event, speakers emphasized that the adoption of Draft Law No. 5557 is the only viable path to rapidly strengthening the state amid the growing Russian threat coming from the territory of the Russian Federation, the temporarily occupied Crimea and ORDLO, Belarus, Moldova’s Transnistria region, as well as the Black and Azov Seas.

Head of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation Serhii Kuzan noted that the draft law on the foundations of national resistance was developed based on an analysis of NATO member states’ experience in organizing comprehensive defense, including territorial defense, resistance movements, and preparation of the population to defend their country.

“By changing its approach to defense, Ukraine is bringing it in line with practices used within the Alliance. Importantly, the draft law was developed by representatives of all branches of the security forces, veterans’ organizations, and experts. It is a collective effort, and unity is the top priority when we speak about national security and defense,” Serhii Kuzan emphasized.

Participants of the rally supported the shift in Ukraine’s national security approach and the need to move toward the practical implementation of the concept of comprehensive defense, which is enshrined in the Military Security Strategy.

“The military fully understands the importance of adopting the draft law on national resistance. I personally know those who worked on it and shared my own vision, which was translated into legislative language. The draft law was developed by officers, commanders, colonels, and generals—those who truly know what defending a country means. We urgently need to adopt this law so that by 2022 we are sufficiently prepared for aggression from our closest neighbor,” said Yevhen Ptashnyk, commander of the 24th Separate Assault Battalion ‘Aidar,’ during the rally.

Volunteer representative Dmytro Zhmailo stated during the event that Draft Law No. 5557 plays a key role in strengthening the state’s defense capability.

“The size of the Armed Forces of Ukraine tasked with defending territorial integrity is limited. No country in the world has the financial or economic capacity to maintain large numbers of regular military units in every region. Given Ukraine’s current situation, we must be ready to respond quickly and repel aggression from any direction,” Dmytro Zhmailo noted.

Participants of the rally supported the urgent adoption of Draft Law No. 5557, which the President of Ukraine submitted to the Verkhovna Rada as an urgent matter due to the threat posed by the Russian Federation. Recently, the Kremlin announced plans to form around 20 new formations and units in Russia’s Western Military District—clear evidence that the threat of a large-scale Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory continues to grow.