| Article title | Constitutional Duty to Defend the Homeland and Conscientious Objection to Military Service: Ensuring the Defence Capability of the State and Religious Non-Discrimination of its Citizens |
|---|---|
| Authors |
Serhii Rabinovych
Dr. habil. of Law, Professor
Professor of the Department of Constitutional Law of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4144-5439 serg_rabin@yahoo.com
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| Journal name | Legal journal «Law of Ukraine» (Ukrainian version) |
| Journal issue | 2 / 2026 |
| Pages | 41 - 60 |
| ISSN (print) | 1026-9932 |
| ISSN (online) | 2310-323X |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.33498/louu-2026-02-041 |
| Received | 09.03.2026 |
| Accepted | 06.04.2026 |
| Published | 14.04.2026 |
| Abstract | Today, facilitating the implementation of mobilisation measures in practice is combined with an insufficient understanding by public authorities of the constitutional and international legal conditions for the legitimacy of restrictions on human rights in wartime. The purpose of this article is to justify the need to ensure the right to conscientious objection to military service during wartime and the functioning of the institution of alternative service as a means of enhancing the state’s defence capability and preventing religious discrimination. There are not only unconditional legal, moral and political grounds for the functioning of the institution of alternative (non-military) service in wartime, but also military and economic grounds. The latter primarily include the urgent need to ensure the uninterrupted security, protection and restoration of infrastructure facilities in both frontline and rear areas, demining, emergency assistance to the wounded, internally displaced persons, etc. Thanks to alternative (non-military) service during wartime, the state’s defence capability will be ensured in a manner that does not violate constitutional and international human rights guarantees of human dignity, freedom of religion and non-discrimination. Compliance with these guarantees will allow all those responsible for the state’s positive obligations to ensure the right to freedom of religion during the war to avoid the burden of involvement in the persecution of believers whose sincerity of religious beliefs is beyond doubt. |
| Keywords | duty to defend the Fatherland; right to freedom of worldview and religion; conscientious objection to military service; alternative (non-military) service; direct effect of constitutional norms; equality; non-discrimination |
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