Partial discharge of military personnel who have been serving since 2022 or earlier will begin in late fall, - Fedorov
In Ukraine, in late fall 2026, the process of phased demobilization will begin for service members who have been continuously defending the country since 2022 or since the very beginning of the Russian aggression in 2014.
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov made this statement in an interview with TSN, according to Censor.NET.
Presidential initiative: to begin in late fall 2026
Defense Minister Fedorov specified the timeline for launching the demobilization program for those who have served for a long time—including ATO/JFO veterans and soldiers who were mobilized in the early days of the major war.
"We agreed on this with the president—and it was his initiative—that starting in late fall of this year, the discharge from service will begin, in essence, for those who have been in the army since 2022 and earlier," the minister announced.
Basic evaluation criteria
The discharges will not be haphazard. The Department of Defense has developed a special system that will evaluate each service member’s contribution based on two main factors:
- Total length of service: The calendar time spent serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"How many days have you served in the military? If you started in 2014, that will count for more. If you started in 2017 or 2018, you also fall into this category," Fedorov explained.
- Number of days in combat: The intensity of service directly on the front lines. According to the minister, if a soldier has been serving since 2022 but has accumulated a large number of days in intense combat, he will be given priority to be discharged among the first group under the relevant presidential decree as early as the end of this year.
Phased schedule and security risks
The Ministry of Defense emphasizes that the demobilization will not be a one-time event for all military personnel. The process will take place exclusively in phases—each month, the command will release a clearly defined, limited number of servicemembers.
The final pace and scale of the demobilization waves will directly correlate with the operational situation on the front lines and Russia’s possible actions.
"It depends on the situation on the battlefield—whether Russia will announce an additional mobilization or not. It depends on many factors. But the main goal of this approach is to enable service members to leave the military and get on with their lives," Fedorov concluded.
