The Cabinet of Ministers has finalised amendments to the system for reserving employees subject to military service. The new rules provide for the abolition of the guaranteed 100% reservation, in particular for enterprises in the defence-industrial complex and the energy sector. At the same time, companies will be able to justify the need to increase their quota, whilst a separate mechanism is being prepared for full exemption, involving the voluntary deployment of some employees to military service. This was announced on 23 October by the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Serhiy Koretskyi. The new system is due to be approved by 1 December.
Briefly about the main points
- The government has finalised changes to the system for exempting workers from mobilisation.
- There are plans to scrap the 100% guaranteed booking scheme, even for defence and energy companies.
- Critically important enterprises will be able to justify the need to increase their quota.
- They want to allow companies that voluntarily send some of their staff into military service to be fully exempt from conscription.
- The new mechanism is due to be approved by 1 December 2026. The final rules have not yet come into force.
What will change regarding staff bookings
According to Sergey Koretsky, the government is abandoning the principle of unconditional 100 per cent exemption, which allowed certain enterprises to obtain a deferral from mobilisation for all employees liable for military service.
The changes will also affect the defence industry and the energy sector. However, businesses on which the production of armaments or the operation of critical infrastructure depends will retain the option of receiving additional quotas.
To do this, companies will need to submit a substantiated application to the Coordination Centre and confirm the need for booking a larger number of employees.
The Prime Minister did not specify the exact percentage of the new maximum booking limit in his statement.
How the new 100% booking system will work
Separately, the government is drawing up a mechanism that will allow businesses to retain their staff in full, provided they fulfil their mobilisation obligations.
This involves the voluntary deployment of some employees to military service. Companies that regularly enrol staff in this scheme will be eligible to have all their other employees subject to military service obligations exempted.
According to Koretsky’s, a person must know in advance which unit they will be assigned to and how long their service will last. It is planned that their job and salary will be retained for them.
The detailed terms and conditions are to be drawn up jointly by the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of the Economy and representatives of the business community.
The Prime Minister noted that the new approach should create the conditions for the rotation of military personnel who have been on the front line for a long time.
Which businesses will remain critical
The government also plans to review the criteria used to determine which enterprises are deemed critical to the economy and the country’s defence capabilities. Koretsky emphasised that a company’s economic indicators must be distinguished from its actual significance to the functioning of the state.
Priority continues to be given to enterprises in the following sectors:
- defence-industrial complex;
- energy;
- connection;
- logistics;
- housing and communal services;
- other sectors essential for the country’s defence and life-sustaining functions.
Sector-specific and regional criticality criteria will be updated. Businesses will also be checked for possible abuses when processing bookings.
According to the Prime Minister, some companies exploited their status as ‘critical’ to artificially inflate their workforce and retain staff who were not, in fact, carrying out tasks essential to the state.
Why did the government decide to restrict full bookings?
Koretskyy reported that the number of workers booked is increasing by tens of thousands every month.
According to the Prime Minister, the current rules create opportunities for abuse, in particular through the formal employment of conscripts at critically important enterprises.
At the same time, the Armed Forces need to replenish their personnel and be able to rotate service personnel who have been carrying out combat duties for a long time.
The Ministry of Defence is also working to increase the penalties for evading military service. The Prime Minister did not specify any particular legislative changes in this regard.
When will the new booking rules come into force?
The government plans to approve a new mechanism for full booking by 1 December 2026.
At the same time, the date on which all the amendments will come into force has not yet been determined. The final quotas, the procedure for submitting applications and the conditions for the voluntary recruitment of staff are to be set out in the relevant regulatory documents.
Koretsky emphasised that the decisions announced do not mean an immediate intensification of mobilisation.
Consequently, as at 23 October, the government announced that the amendments had been finalised, but the new booking procedure has not yet come into force. There is no basis for claiming that all existing bookings will be automatically cancelled.
