Mobilization in Ukraine - Ministry of Defense updates list of illnesses exempting from service

Amendments to the Regulation on Military Medical Examination in the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been introduced by the Ministry of Defense order dated August 18, 2023, No. 490. They came into effect on August 25.

Changes to the order regarding the Medical Board (Vocational Medical Examination)

By Order No. 490 of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in particular:

• Complete revision of the Schedule of Illnesses for assessing the fitness of military personnel.

• Detailed clarification of the procedure for determining the service placement for individuals with limited fitness.

• Refinement of the procedure for adopting the Medical Board's decision regarding the causal relationship between illnesses, injuries (wounds, concussions, mutilations), and military service as well as homeland defense.

• Clarification of the list of documents required for consideration.

All individuals with "contested" articles will be considered fit for service

Previously, in section 20.4 of Chapter III of the Regulation, it was specified that during wartime, for articles in the Schedule of Illnesses that provided options for either "fit for service" or "limited fitness for service," the Medical Board (Vocational Medical Examination) should issue a decision "fit for military service," with the exception of articles 2-в, 4-в, 5-в, 12-в, 13-в, 14-в, 17-в, 21-в, 22-в.

Now, the words and numbers "with the exception of articles 2-в, 4-в, 5-в, 12-в, 13-в, 14-в, 17-в, 21-в, 22-в" have been removed from the Regulation. This means that for "contested" articles, all individuals will be considered fit for service.

Individuals with limited fitness will be considered fit for service based on their specific military specialty

Now, along with the decision on limited fitness for military service, the Medical Board (Vocational Medical Examination) is required to issue a decision on the individual's fitness for service within a specific military specialty (SMS).

In the event that a military service member is deemed unfit for service within a particular military specialty, the unit commander may reassign them to a different position, and they can be referred to the Medical Board to determine their fitness for service within the new military specialty.

The procedures for military service by individuals recognized as having limited fitness for service are governed by the Regulation on the Service of Ukrainian Citizens in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, approved by the President's Decree on December 10, 2008, No. 1153, and the Instructions for the Organization of Implementing the Regulation.

The requirements of the Medical Board have been simplified for paratroopers and marines

The health requirements for servicemen in the Airborne Assault Troops and Marine Corps have been relaxed during special periods, such as mobilization and wartime.

Thanks to these new changes in the requirements, some military personnel who were previously deemed unfit for service in these units will now be considered fit for such service.

While Orders No. 456 and No. 490 have already come into effect and have been published on the website of the Verkhovna Rada, the changes to the actual Regulation (Order No. 402) as of September 3 have not yet been updated on the website. Therefore, it is important to exercise caution when searching for information regarding the Medical Board.

Mobilization in Ukraine

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the country has implemented a general mobilization. The last extension of this mobilization, along with the declaration of a state of war, was made on July 27. As a result, it is set to remain in effect until at least November 15 of the current year.

Currently, military conscription applies to men aged 18 to 60 years old.

In late August, a representative of the President in the Verkhovna Rada, a member of the parliamentary committee on security and defense, Fedir Venislavskyi, stated that there were no initiatives in the Verkhovna Rada for conscripting individuals into second higher education at the moment. However, this idea has been discussed in the relevant parliamentary committee.