Demobilisation in the Ukrainian Armed Forces: Syrskyi explains the new discharge procedure

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, spoke about this in an interview with *Military*.

Demobilisation and discharge from service

Oleksandr Syrskyi explained that demobilisation takes place after the end of the war and the special period. At the same time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are currently working specifically on the issue of discharge from military service during the war.

“Demobilisation takes place when the war and the special period come to an end. But we have discharge. Discharge from military service during the war. This is an important issue which, so to speak, offers our servicemen a light at the end of the tunnel,” said Syrskyi.

According to the Commander-in-Chief, work on this issue is ongoing in conjunction with the Ministry of Defence. All the initiatives announced by the President have already been considered.

Syrskyi noted that the military had examined the contract provisions and all types of additional financial support in detail. Discussions are currently taking place directly within military units.

According to him, in this model, all military personnel are taking part in the discussion of the initiatives.

How a balance will be sought

The Commander-in-Chief emphasised that the issue of discharge from service is a sensitive one.

On the one hand, the war is ongoing, there are casualties, and mobilisation is being carried out to replenish the troops. On the other hand, military personnel who have been fighting for a long time should be granted discharge or a deferment. This will depend on how much time they have spent on the battlefield.

According to Syrskyi, the main challenge is to maintain a balance, as Russia is constantly trying to increase the size of its army, and Ukraine must respond accordingly.

“This process must not be chaotic, but controlled. If we discharge a certain number of servicemen, we must understand that we will recruit the same number, and possibly more. Certainly not fewer. That is the difficulty,” he said.

Syrskyi also noted that the mechanism must be flexible, adapted to the situation on the battlefield and backed by financial resources.

Short-term contracts in the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The Commander-in-Chief announced that the Armed Forces of Ukraine plan to introduce a system of short-term contracts.

According to Syrskyi, the changes were developed taking into account the wishes of the military. Some of them requested minimum terms of service.

In particular, short contracts of 6–9 months were discussed for military personnel who had been discharged on health grounds but would like to return to service.

For current military personnel, the term of the new contract will be 10 months.

For new recruits, standard contracts of 2–3 years or more will apply. This should enable everyone to choose their own service format.

Pay for military personnel

According to Syrskyi, the minimum pay for a serviceman will be 30,000 hryvnias.

There are also plans to provide additional allowances for certain categories of military personnel.

This primarily concerns those taking part in active combat operations. Among these categories, Syrskyi named personnel from mechanised, assault, airborne and infantry brigades.

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