Zelensky orders Ukraine military reform that would allow phased discharge of mobilized soldiers

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will launch a military reform in 2026 that includes a phased demobilization of some soldiers.

The reform, he said, would change how the authorities approach staffing units and managing personnel.

Zelensky ordered an expansion of contract-based military recruitment, saying defined service terms would allow for a phased discharge of soldiers who had previously been mobilized. Demobilization could begin as early as 2026.

The reform also calls for raising military salaries on the basis of fairness. Zelensky ordered the creation of special contracts for infantry soldiers with payments of 250,000 to 400,000 hryvnias (4,850–7,750 euros) depending on the completion of combat assignments.

Dmytro Lytvyn, Zelensky’s communications adviser, said the Defense Ministry and the General Staff of Ukraine would provide details of the reform. Updated contracts, he said, would be used to ensure the discharge of previously mobilized soldiers and to introduce defined service terms.

Ukraine was already considering a bill in 2024 that envisioned a sweeping reform of the mobilization process, RBC-Ukraine recalls. Among other things, it proposed allowing demobilization for soldiers who had served 36 consecutive months. The demobilization provision was removed before the second reading.