The war in Ukraine has been going on for 4 years in a row, general mobilization continues along with the extension of martial law, which is 3 months. Against this background, a logical question arises about clear terms of service for mobilized people. After all, if those who sign a contract for 3 or 5 years have already received the official right to be released upon the expiration of the contract with the relevant amendments to the Law “ On Military Duty and Military Service ”, then ordinary mobilized people starting from 2022 are still in limbo.
In this article, we will examine the new changes proposed by V. Zelensky in the new large-scale Army Reform in 2026, namely, whether it is worth waiting for the long-awaited release according to clear terms of service for mobilized members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Why haven’t similar initiatives worked before?
Previously, the issue of the need to introduce clear terms of service for mobilized personnel serving from 2022 onwards has been raised in parliament more than once, so that everyone would have the right to resign after the expiration of a three-year period from the moment of mobilization.
One of these proposed initiatives even had a real manifestation in the form of bill 14283 of 08.12.2025, namely by switching to a contract system of service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine . After completing the service, anyone who did not want to re-sign a new contract would receive the right to be released and a deferral for a period of 1 year for recovery , rehabilitation and social adaptation. However, this initiative still remains in the relevant committee.
The lack of movement and the inability to adopt the aforementioned bill publicly are explained precisely by the decline in mobilization potential in general, and the deficit in individual military units , which would have increased even more if it had been adopted.
Army Reform 2026: What is proposed to change to introduce clear terms of service
The initiative of the President of Ukraine V. Zelensky gives new hope and, in general, the idea of clear terms of service for mobilized soldiers a new breath. All because of the so-called reform in the army of Ukraine, which is being prepared for implementation since June of this year. The President instructed to prepare a proposal for the transition to clear terms of service by introducing a new system of contracts with fixed payments from 250 to 400 thousand hryvnias for mobilized infantrymen on the front line of combat.
It is expected that the influx of new people wishing to sign a contract for military service will help close the issue of the current shortage of personnel and free up the possibility of dismissal for those who have been defending the Motherland since the first days of the war.
Thus, President Zelensky, in his post on the official Telegram page, commented on the details of the new reform:
“Approaches to staffing our units and managing people will be changed. I instructed to strengthen the contract system in the Defense Forces in such a way that, by expanding the contract component, we can ensure certain terms of service and the possibility – starting this year – of gradually releasing those who were mobilized earlier, based on clear time criteria.” — V. Zelenskyy
After what period can a mobilized person be released from the Armed Forces of Ukraine?
Under the new army reform to be implemented in 2026, according to President V. Zelensky, the release of mobilized personnel will be carried out by replacing them under a new system of contracts with significant financial support (from 250 to 450 thousand hryvnias). The release will take place in stages , the exact stages that will be implemented have not yet been disclosed, but it is known for sure that they will be released according to clear criteria that will be calculated based on the period of service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine .
Conclusion
It is not known exactly when to expect the introduction of clear terms of release from military service for mobilized soldiers. According to President Zelensky, the military command and the Minister of Defense of Ukraine were instructed to discuss the implementation of the reform and report next week (i.e. after May 7) on specific steps and deadlines for implementing the reform, in particular regarding the schedule of increased payments (which, according to the statement, could begin as early as June 2026) and the system of renewed contracts.
Want to receive more news on this topic? Subscribe to our Viber by simply clicking on this text!
