Partial demobilisation of military personnel will begin this autumn — Fyodorov
Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov made these remarks in an interview with ‘TSN’.
“We have agreed with the President that, from late autumn this year, a partial discharge from service will begin for those who have been in the army since 2022 or earlier,” he said.
The discharge mechanism will be based on two criteria: the total length of service since 2014 and the number of days spent in combat.
“If, for example, you have been serving since 2022 and have a large number of days spent in combat, you may already be discharged from service by presidential decree at the end of this year,” said Fedorov.
It should be recalled that the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence has launched a pilot scheme for the voluntary transfer of military personnel to two-year contracts, upon completion of which a deferment of at least six months is guaranteed (plus days accrued for combat service).
This has drawn criticism from some military personnel, who have emphasised that this would mean they would not be able to leave the army until 2028 at the earliest. However, Defence Minister Fedorov stated that the presidential decree on the discharge of military personnel who have been serving since 2022 or earlier will take precedence over newly signed contracts.
Decisions on discharge will be made by the General Staff based on data regarding the number of combat days and length of service. To this end, the Ministry of Defence will create a special calculator so that every serviceman can check in which month their discharge is likely to take place.
Fedorov pointed out that, previously, the minimum contract for military service was three years and did not allow for a deferral upon its completion. Servicemen who signed a contract earlier will also be eligible for a deferral under the new formula or may sign a new contract with guaranteed leave.
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