Ministry of Defence has outlined army reform: new contract system, increased salaries, and return from AWOL
Ukraine has officially announced the launch of the most comprehensive reform of its military service system to date. New contract formats with fixed terms (from 10 months) are being introduced, along with pay for infantry personnel (up to 460,000 UAH per month), a fast-track return scheme for servicemen from AWOL, and the large-scale recruitment of foreign volunteers for the front line.
This was announced by Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, reports Censor.NET.
"On the instructions of the President of Ukraine, the Government, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence, the General Staff and the Ministry of Finance are jointly launching the greatest transformation of military service in the history of the state. The Government today adopted a package of resolutions launching the first stage of this transformation," he wrote.
Three types of new contracts and a guaranteed deferment
The main change is the abolition of ‘indefinite’ service during martial law. Now, both civilians and serving military personnel (or those with combat experience) can choose a fixed term of service:
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Infantry assault contract: Designed for 14 months for civilians, 10 months for serving military personnel and from 6 months for veterans who have already been discharged previously.
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Combat contract: For 24 months for shortage and technical specialities (UAV pilots, operators of ground-based robotic systems, artillerymen, electronic warfare specialists).
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Basic contract: 24 months for other roles, with a guaranteed option to hold exclusively rear-line positions.
Each such contract provides for a guaranteed deferment of at least 6 months after its completion.
Rest periods will be calculated using the following formula: one month on the front line is equivalent to three months of future deferment. For example, having served 10 months (four of which on the front line), an assault soldier will receive 1.5 years of guaranteed civilian life. All previous service experience from 2022 onwards will also be taken into account.
The world’s highest salaries for infantry
The state is radically overhauling the system for funding frontline operations. As the infantry bears the greatest risks, their pay will be unprecedented:
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Assault troops and infantry: Will receive an average of 300,000 hryvnias (~$7,000) per month. The maximum pay for carrying out the most difficult tasks will be 460,000 hryvnias.
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Rear: The minimum pay for military personnel in the rear is being raised to 30,000 hryvnias.
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Commanders: For the first time, pay for the command echelon (unit commanders, chiefs of staff, deputies) is set to rise significantly — their salaries will double (plus combat pay). For instance, a corps commander will receive around 230,000 hryvnias per month.
To ensure the fairness of combat pay and monitor the actual physical strain on the front line, the digital Mission Control system is being introduced.
Digitalisation via "Army+", a fast track for AWOL and an international legion
The reform will also eliminate the army’s main bureaucratic bottlenecks:
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Automatic transfers: A simplified procedure for changing units within a single army corps, without needing approval from dozens of superiors, is being launched via the "Army+" app. A beta test is currently underway.
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Fast track for AWOL: Servicemen who have deserted for the first time will be able to return to service online (via "Army+") or offline directly to the top 50 most effective combat brigades, bypassing lengthy bureaucratic procedures.
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Foreign recruitment market: Ukraine is officially opening the market for hiring foreign nationals for combat units. The General Staff’s aim is to fill between 30% and 50% of posts in assault and infantry units with foreign volunteers in order to save Ukrainian lives.
Fedorov added that for those soldiers who have been on the front line the longest and have the highest total number of combat deployments, a process of gradual demobilisation (discharge from service) will begin by the end of 2026.
The Defence Minister emphasised that this is only the first stage of changes, and the second step will be a complete and comprehensive transformation of the TCR system, civilian recruitment and mobilisation processes.
