Koval: Draft Law No. 5557 is extremely urgent for our state

On May 25, Draft Law No. 5557 “On the Fundamentals of National Resistance” was registered in the Verkhovna Rada. It provides for broad involvement of the population in the defense and protection of Ukraine’s territorial integrity—effectively the creation of a national resistance system at various levels.

Given that Ukraine has been living under conditions of an undeclared war since 2014, Draft Law No. 5557 is extremely urgent for our state. The philosophy of the “fundamentals of national resistance” is aimed at achieving combat readiness to repel the enemy in the shortest possible time. This was stated in an interview with ArmiaInform by the First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Colonel General, Doctor of Military Sciences Mykhailo Koval.

“Why did this draft law appear now? First of all, because a process of strategic planning was underway. The National Security Strategy and the Military Security Strategy have been adopted, work on the Strategic Defense Bulletin and the Development Program of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is nearing completion. The draft law ‘On the Fundamentals of National Resistance’ that we submitted had to be fully adapted to these strategic documents, which has been done. In fact, it takes into account everything that is necessary for the defense of our state today,” Koval said.

The draft law was developed by a working group that included representatives of the Office of the President of Ukraine, the NSDC, the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ground Forces, the Special Operations Forces, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service of Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service, volunteers, and others.

Another innovation of Draft Law No. 5557 is the creation of an effective territorial defense system, which will consist of two types: military and volunteer.

In addition, Draft Law No. 5557 is another step toward the implementation of NATO standards.

“It is important that the draft law harmonizes all aspects of implementing NATO standards and creates a legislative foundation for a comprehensive defense system. In particular, responsibilities have been delineated: strategically important facilities will be protected by the National Guard, the State Special Transport Service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and other special units, while military and volunteer territorial defense units will operate at the local level,” the colonel general noted.

Full interview at the link: https://bit.ly/34FwN5g

Based on materials from ArmiaInform