Ukrainian army to fully transition to contract service - Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Photo: RBC-Ukraine, Vitalii Nosach)
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a press conference, stated that the Ukrainian army should already be preparing for the transition to a fully contractualized service. This is necessary in case the “hot” stage of the war ends.
“The military is the military, but there are people who came to the war, they mobilized. They must resolve this issue now, and the military must prepare for the transition to a fully contracted army. Of course, when the hot stage of the war is over,” he said.
Zelenskyy is confident that, at least for today, the army that can stand is 800 thousand (soldiers - ed.), but “this does not mean that after the end of the ‘hot’ stage of the war, people will not be able to go home.”
“I have given the task to the meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. They already have a pilot (pilot project - ed.) of 18-24 (years old - ed.). This is a contract army. They need to think about when the “hot” stage of the war will end, they need to offer,” the president added.
Military service for Ukrainians aged 18-24
In early 2025, it became known that Ukraine was reforming its military recruitment system. This will help attract young soldiers and increase the number of personnel.
In early February, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was preparing an initiative to recruit people liable for military service aged 18 to 24. A special contract will be in place for this category.
It is now known that the special contract for persons liable for military service aged 18 to 24 includes a number of benefits. They relate to education, salary, and housing.
