KYIV, July 20 — Ukrainian conscription, the compulsory military service of men, entered a new phase in April 2024 when President Volodymyr Zelensky signed laws passed by the national legislature that lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25. The new legislation also included provisions making it easier to conscript eligible persons and harder for draft dodgers. The laws were controversial and largely unpopular.
Conscription has been a cornerstone of Ukraine’s defense during wartime. The process became part of an ongoing mobilization enforced by press-ganging and rounding up eligible men into the army, a practice known as “Busification” due to the use of buses by Territorial Recruitment Center officers.
Fresh conscripts are sent to training centers to prepare for war with Russia. After serving, conscripts become part of the inactive reserve and are eligible for recall until age 55, or 60 for officers. During the War in Donbas, Ukraine instated partial mobilization, recalling former conscripts.
Many conscripts were forced to serve longer than their original 18-month term. In 2015, three waves of partial mobilization were planned to replace those serving beyond their term.
Controversial Provisions and Exemptions
Families of active service personnel objected that the April 2024 laws did not include an initially considered provision to relieve soldiers who had served 36 months in combat. Ukraine’s leaders deemed it impractical to remove experienced troops due to Russia’s advancing forces, pledging future consideration without a timeline. Women are exempt from conscription, though all medical workers regardless of gender are subject to call-up in a national emergency.
Individuals with moderate autism spectrum disorder are eligible but assigned to non-combat roles. Draft dodging is present; between April and August 2014, over 1,000 criminal inquiries into draft evasion were opened.
Unless a male citizen is medically unable to serve, an application for an international passport may be denied due to lack of military service, preventing travel abroad.
Historical Context and Reversals
Historically, in October 2013 President Viktor Yanukovych ended conscription when 60% of forces were professionals. The War in Donbas led to reinstatement of conscription and partial mobilization in 2014. The eligible age group was modified for 2015 from 18–25 to 20–27.
In autumn 2016, longer deployment of mobilized servicemen to the east was ceased. On 1 February 2022, President Zelensky announced ending conscription by 1 January 2024 and increasing professional servicemen by 100,000 with better pay and housing.
The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine upended those plans, alongside massive popular mobilization into the Territorial Defence Forces.
Looking Ahead
As of the latest laws, conscription begins at age 25. The system continues to rely on the recruitment of eligible men, with no clear timeline for relief of long-serving troops. The practical operation of the new laws and their impact on Ukraine’s force generation will remain a key point of observation.
