The conscription of a person liable for military service during mobilization is irreversible, Ukraine's Supreme Court ruled on March 17, following a lawsuit by a serviceman who claimed he had been drafted illegally.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stressed that Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty are non-negotiable, reaffirming that Kyiv will never recognize Russian-occupied territories as part of Russia.
Within a single week in February, several attacks against enlistment offices and personnel in Ukraine took place, resulting in injuries among both military and civilians. The most striking was the murder of an enlistment officer at a gas station in Poltava Oblast. A man killed the officer during an attempt
As Ukraine entered its fourth year of Russia’s full-scale war, it was geopolitics, not the war itself, that dominated headlines, as Kyiv’s relationship with new U.S. President Donald Trump nosedived over a proposed minerals deal. In the meantime though, the battlefield continues to rage on multiple fronts,
The measure, which will take effect on March 3, comes in response to cases in which men used their permits to stay abroad longer than permitted.
Since the army recruitment centers began operation, 42,366 Ukrainians have applied, with the highest number of female candidates coming from western Chernivtsi, Khmelnytskyi, and Ternopil oblasts.
"In 2024, Russia had to mobilize thousands of people from the newly occupied territories and those who had previously been under occupation. According to HUR, this plan has been fulfilled by 104%."
A Ukrainian draft officer was injured in a violently attack on Feb. 17 in the city of Zhovkva in Lviv Oblast while escorting two mobilized individuals to a medical evaluation.
Ukraine's military has received over 10,000 applications from volunteer recruits aged 18 to 24 following the introduction of lucrative "special contracts," Defense Ministry Spokesperson Dmytro Lazutkin said on Ukrainian TV on Feb. 17.
Ukraine faces a delicate balancing act — mobilizing enough people to fend off the immediate threat posed by Russia's full-scale invasion, and preserving enough of the country's youth to weather longer-term demographic concerns. On top of this, U.S. lawmakers and NATO allies are reportedly urging Ukraine to lower its draft
“The biggest problem is the lack of people.” These words, heard by journalists, including myself, from Ukrainian soldiers and commanders across the front line for the past year, are no outlier. For most of 2024 and into 2025, Ukraine’s biggest issue on the battlefield has not been firepower but
The contract includes basic general military training, vocational training, and an adaptation course in an army unit. Volunteers will receive a one-time monetary aid payment of Hr 1 million ($24,000) and a monthly allowance of up to Hr 120,000 ($3,000).
The attacker reportedly used a gas spray and stabbed the serviceman, who is now receiving medical care with no threat to his life.
Such contracts will have many benefits, including "a very high monetary provision," according to the president. He said the details of such contracts would be made public in the coming days.
The incident follows reports on the deaths of conscripts allegedly caused by beatings at military enlistment offices.
The extension of general mobilization and martial law until May 9 coincides with the celebration of Victory Day in Russia.
The revelation follows a series of attacks on military enlistment officers, including explosions at draft offices.
An explosion near a military enlistment office in Kamianets-Podilskyi in Khmelnytskyi Oblast on Feb. 5 left at least one person dead and four injured, Suspilne reported, citing a police spokesperson.
Russia's Ministry of Defense has proposed changes to military medical examination rules that would simplify the conscription of individuals with psychosis, hypertension, and syphilis.
"In a short time, unfortunately, three shameful acts of violence occurred in different regions, in which servicemen were injured," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
The Poltava Oblast National Police detained a man who allegedly shot a draft officer, stole his weapon, and escaped with another man overnight on Jan. 31.
Taras Kuchma, the mayor of Drohobych in Lviv Oblast, has been fined for interfering with mobilization efforts, Ukrainian media outlet Zaxid.net reported on Jan. 28.
"If tomorrow, for example, half of the army just goes home, then we should have surrendered on the first day. That's the way it is. Because if half the people go home tomorrow, Putin will kill us all."
Under the new legislation, draft board decisions for individuals deemed fit for service will remain valid for one year. This allows military commissions to send individuals to the army in subsequent drafts without requiring additional medical examinations or decisions.
The Ukrainian military command's plan to throw high-skilled Air Force personnel into the infantry was said to be halted when the practice gained nationwide attention, followed by a condemnation from President Volodymyr Zelensky. Soldiers, who spoke to the Kyiv Independent on conditions of anonymity, say, however, that nothing has changed,
The move comes amid pressure from U.S. lawmakers to lower the draft age, though President Volodymyr Zelensky has opposed lowering it to 18, arguing it would harm Ukraine's future prospects.
Ukrainian society largely does not want to mobilize. Nearly 6 million Ukrainian men have not updated their information in military enlistment centers, and most of them likely don't have grounds for a deferment or exemption. Forced mobilization of these men is categorically opposed by society. Rosy-cheeked aunts gather and shout
Reports last week indicated that since 2024, thousands of Air Force soldiers have been transferred to the Ground Forces.
This denial follows opposition MP Oleksii Honcharenko's Telegram post alleging plans for widespread State Emergency Service mobilization after Feb. 28.
Ukraine's immediate focus is on adequately equipping its military, rather than further reducing the draft age, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 14, according to Interfax-Ukraine.
Key developments on Jan. 9: * Ukraine's 47th Brigade releases video of 'massive' Russian attack repelled in Kursk Oblast * 4,000 North Korean troops killed or wounded fighting against Ukraine, Zelensky claims * 'It would be crazy to drop the ball now' — Zelensky urges continued unity, support for Ukraine at Ramstein * Kyiv,
"We have a shortage of professionals, and Ukraine is ready to exempt most of them from military service," Chernyshov said.
