Military to introduce 'special contracts' to motivate younger volunteer fighters, Zelensky says

The Ukrainian military is planning to introduce "special contracts" to recruit volunteers aged 18 to 24, who are exempt from mobilization, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Reuters published on Feb. 7.

The remarks follow reports that U.S. lawmakers and NATO allies are urging Ukraine to lower its draft age from 25 to 18 to address manpower shortages. Currently, Ukrainian men aged 25 to 60 are subject to conscription.

"Combat brigades, experienced ones, together with the Defense Ministry have been working on a contract option for young people aged 18 to 24," Zelensky said. "This is for those who want to join up, it is not a mobilization."

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 U.S. has reportedly advocated for lowering the conscription age as part of broader efforts to address Ukraine's personnel needs at the full-scale war with Russia stretches into its third year.

Trump's National Security Advisor Michael Waltz said in January that Ukraine "could generate hundreds of thousands of new soldiers" if it lowered its conscription age to 18.

The Ukrainian military faces a critical manpower shortage, struggling to replenish infantry gaps left by heavy losses in battle-hardened brigades. Enlisting in the military currently often means signing up until the war ends, with no end in sight. A one-year contract option would appeal to those interested in contributing to the war effort for a limited period.

Zelensky's Deputy Chief of Staff Pavlo Palisa said in January that Ukraine is finalizing reforms to attract young people exempt from mobilization.

"We need to adapt the structure to the logic of modern warfare, which will allow us to be more effective and prevent us from making the same mistakes repeatedly," Palisa said.

Kyiv has long opposed U.S. pressure to lower the draft age, with Zelensky arguing it would harm Ukraine's future prospects.

As US pushes Ukraine to lower conscription age, why won’t Kyiv draft younger men?

Editor’s note: this article was updated to reflect incoming U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz’s comments on the topic. When looking at Ukraine’s Armed Forces, there is one thing that stands out — it is made up predominantly of older men. Ukraine has never publicly released information ab…

The Kyiv IndependentElsa Court