In Brief

Ukraine plans to draft an additional 160,000 soldiers, raising military unit manning to 85%.
Over 1 million citizens have been mobilized since martial law began.
Updated legislation simplifies conscription and imposes stricter penalties for draft evasion. Military-aged men had a 60-day window to update personal information for conscription. Certain employees in critical sectors can extend their exemption from military service.

Situation Report

On October 29, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, announced that an additional 160,000 individuals will be drafted into the Ukrainian armed forces, aiming to increase unit manning to 85% amid ongoing military pressures from Russia.

This decision follows the adoption of a new mobilization law in mid-April designed to streamline the conscription process and enhance penalties for those evading the draft. Since the onset of martial law, approximately 1,000,050 citizens have been recruited into military service.

The updated mobilization law mandates that military-aged men must update their personal data within a specified timeframe to facilitate their identification for conscription. As of mid-July, nearly 4.7 million men had complied with this requirement.

Despite these efforts, Ukraine continues to face challenges in mobilizing enough troops to replace casualties and rotate soldiers who have been on the front lines since the conflict escalated.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal indicated that new rules would allow employees in strategically important sectors to extend their exemptions from conscription. This reflects ongoing concerns about maintaining essential services while addressing military needs.

Assessment