Clear terms of service and guaranteed deferment: a new draft law for the military is being prepared

Ukrainian military personnel may be granted the terms of service specified by law and a guaranteed deferment upon completion of their contract. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is drafting a bill to this effect.

Pavlo Palisa, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, announced this in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

A Contract Instead of Uncertainty

According to Palisa, the document provides for a transition to a system in which contract soldiers will have a clearly defined term of service and a guaranteed deferment after its completion. This essentially refers to the possibility of demobilization in the form of a stipulated break after fulfilling the terms of the contract.

“The request for fixed terms of service is understandable, and we will try to implement it through contracts,” he noted.

The draft bill was prepared by the previous leadership of the Ministry of Defense. After the appointment of the new minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, its submission to parliament was postponed for further review. It is expected that any changes will be technical in nature and will not alter the basic concept.

Opportunity for mobilized personnel to switch to contract service

Not only new recruits but also military personnel who have already been mobilized will be able to sign a contract with the Armed Forces. In this way, they will have the opportunity to switch to a contract-based service model with clearly defined time limits.

The main goal of the initiative is to provide predictability for service members: when signing a contract, a person should understand exactly when their service term ends and what extension they can expect.

The proposed changes could be an important step toward a systematic transition to a contract-based model of military recruitment and a reduction in uncertainty for service members.