Ukraine’s parliament gave preliminary approval for a controversial bill on mobilization, designed to help replenish the country’s war-battered armed forces.

The government’s proposal received 243 votes in a first reading, clearing a threshold of 226, lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak said on Telegram on Wednesday. The legislation must be approved in a second and final reading and secure the signature of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before it becomes law.

An initial draft of the legislation reduced Ukraine’s wartime draft age to 25 from 27 and tightened a registration procedure in order to make men more visible to recruitment offices. The full text of the most recent draft wasn’t immediately available on the parliament’s website.

The law may help the country’s military enlist more soldiers to counter Russia’s military campaign, with the Kremlin intensifying missile and drone attacks and placing more pressure on the 1,500-kilometer (932-mile) front line.

But Ukraine’s ombudsman and some lawmakers criticized the measures as too stringent, including a measure that requires soldiers to remain in combat service for 36 months. Critics call that time frame excessive.

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