On June 12, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a package of resolutions launching the first stage of a large-scale transformation of the military service system. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, and Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov presented the reform simultaneously — new contracts, increased salaries, and a deferment mechanism that has never existed in the Ukrainian army before.
The Formula: The More Combat Time — The Longer the Rest
The central element of the reform is an accumulative deferment. Upon completion of a contract, every service member is guaranteed a minimum of six months. The term is then calculated individually.
The longer the service — the longer the guaranteed deferment. One of the principles of the new contract system is to fairly account for the military's path already traveled.
— Mykhailo Fedorov, on Telegram
The key coefficient: one month in combat positions is "paid" with three months of deferment. Fedorov gave a concrete example: a civilian who signed an assault infantry contract for 14 months and spent four months directly in combat will receive 12 months for combat service plus six guaranteed months — a total of a year and a half.
For those who have been in the army since 2021, the calculation is different: for each year of service after 2022, an additional six months of deferment is added, and for each year before 2022 — one month. Such a service member on a 10-month contract with the same combat experience accumulates over three years of rest from conscription.
New Contracts: Three Types, Clear Terms
- Assault Infantry — 10 months (for active military) or 14 months (for civilians).
- Combat — 24 months: artillery, tank crews, air defense, heavy drone operators.
- Basic — 24 months: logistics, headquarters, technical services; provides the right to voluntarily transfer to a combat contract.
Salaries have been increased: minimum pay in the rear — 30,000 hryvnia, average payment for an infantryman — approximately 300,000, maximum — up to 460,000 hryvnia per month. Commanders for the first time received their own scale: corps commander — up to 230,000 hryvnia.
Gradual Discharge — Not Demobilization
Separately, Fedorov announced discharge from service for those who have served the longest in the Defense Forces and spent the most time in combat.
Our task is to make the military service system predictable and fair. Those who protected the country for longer should receive more time to recover after completing their service.
— Mykhailo Fedorov
The minister emphasized: the process will begin by the end of 2025 and will be gradual — not all at once. A formal start date and selection criteria list have not been publicly announced. The Defense Ministry recommends clarifying details of conditions and deferment calculations on the Defense Forces' contract system website or by calling 1519.
Foreigners in Infantry: Goal — Up to Half of Assault Positions
Parallel to changes in service conditions for Ukrainians, Syrskyi announced opening the recruitment market for foreigners in combat units. The stated goal is to fill 30–50% of assault and infantry positions with foreign volunteers. The Commander-in-Chief called this "the largest transformation of military service in the country's history."
The reform is systemic: it simultaneously affects incentives for enlistment (salary), conditions of service (clear contract terms), and exit from service (deferment, discharge). The question is whether the mechanism will work where it matters most: if the most experienced fighters truly go on rest by the end of the year — will there be enough new contractors to fill their positions at "zero"?
