Mobilization rules in Ukraine will change in June: key points
Starting in June, updated rules on mobilization and deferment will take effect in Ukraine, which may affect the number of men subject to military service.
The conscription of citizens into military service in Ukraine, as before, is regulated by the Law “On Mobilization Preparation and Mobilization,” specifically Article 23, which lists which men are exempt from mobilization.
These primarily include reserved employees of government agencies, enterprises, and institutions deemed critical to the country’s economy and defense.
It is precisely this category that is addressed by a recent resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers, which raises the salary requirements for employees of critically important enterprises.
Under the new rules, to be exempt from mobilization, an employee must earn at least three times the minimum wage—25,941 UAH—and the review of existing statuses must take place within three months.
The list of those exempt from mobilization in Ukraine in 2026 also includes:
- persons with disabilities recognized by the Military Medical Commission as temporarily unfit for service due to health conditions;
- parents with multiple children who are supporting three or more children under the age of 18;
- single parents raising a child on their own;
- individuals raising children with disabilities, serious illnesses, or those who have been left without parental care;
- persons providing constant care for seriously ill relatives or persons with disabilities of Groups I and II.
In addition, full-time and dual-track students, as well as graduate and doctoral students who are enrolled in a continuous program and comply with the requirements of the law, are exempt from mobilization.
It should be noted that the deferment for students is valid only until they graduate, and if a person does not continue their studies at the next level, their right to deferment automatically expires.
The law also specifically protects relatives of deceased or missing-in-action military personnel, as well as citizens who have survived captivity as a result of armed aggression against Ukraine—they may be mobilized only with their consent.
However, the categories of citizens who will definitely not be drafted into the military are defined by Article 37 of the Law “On Military Duty and Military Service”—it specifies the conditions under which citizens are, in principle, not subject to military registration.
These include, in particular, individuals deemed completely unfit for military service due to health reasons, as well as citizens who have not yet reached or have exceeded the age for reserve service (18 and 60 years, respectively).
Incidentally, regarding those unfit for health reasons, representatives of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine recently announced work on a decision intended to eliminate errors during military medical examinations and more accurately classify citizens as temporarily or completely unfit.
Also, regarding who is exempt from mobilization in Ukraine, 2026 brought one innovation—Law No. 4782-IX, signed in February. It added a new category of citizens temporarily exempt from conscription—conscripts and reservists aged 18 to 25 who served a one-year contract during martial law and were discharged. After discharge, they are granted a 12-month exemption from mobilization.
In June, Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 467 will remain in effect, under which conscripts must now submit deferment applications through the Administrative Service Center (ASC) rather than directly to the Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC); meanwhile, some deferments are now processed automatically without the need to constantly provide paper certificates.
It is important to note, however, that having valid grounds for a deferment does not automatically mean exemption from mobilization—this must be officially confirmed and processed.
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