The Ministry of Defense commented on the inclusion of IT specialists in the mobilization
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense is considering the possibility of selectively recruiting IT specialists through the notification system in the “Reserve+” app. At the same time, the procedure may be more complicated for specialists who work as sole proprietors and do not have the relevant official records. This was reported by Channel 24 on May 18.
Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oksana Ferchuk and Head of the Main Directorate of Information Technologies Oleg Berestovyi spoke about new approaches to mobilizing digital specialists at the DOU DAY 2026 conference.
Officials promised detailed announcements of changes to “Reserve+” as early as the beginning of June.
The Ministry of Defense wants to move from general draft notices to conscription based on professional suitability.
In this case, the Territorial Recruitment Centers and Specialized Units will prioritize recruiting specialists with specific profiles (drivers, communications specialists, medics, IT specialists) in accordance with the current needs of the Defense Forces units.
“If you were officially employed and the Pension Fund has a record confirming that you actually worked in IT, we can verify this very quickly and send you a push notification about available vacancies. If not—sorry,” explained Oleg Berestovyi, Head of the Main Directorate of Information Technologies.
He also noted that the situation is more complicated with sole proprietors: if a person worked as a sole proprietor, it is much harder to confirm their employment specifically in the IT sector.
Deputy Minister of Defense Oksana Ferchuk agreed with the audience’s comment that entrepreneurs’ KVED codes could serve as a guideline.
“We’re simply being open and transparent: there are these positions, and this is what you’ll be doing. You’ll gain unique experience that will be sought after by the armed forces of other countries around the world,” she emphasized.
Officials are keeping the specifics of the new features in the “Reserve+” app under wraps for now. “We will make all announcements regarding what the new features and changes will look like in June. We will reveal everything in the first week of June,” Ferchuk said.
As a reminder, parents with multiple children in Ukraine are entitled to a deferment from mobilization, though this is not automatically guaranteed.
Meanwhile, the head of the National Police stated that law enforcement officers’ participation in mobilization activities is not their direct duty and has negative consequences. According to him, this practice affects how the police are perceived by society.
