Ukraine could strip critical workers of draft exemptions – PM

The government is considering tightening mobilization rules amid allegations that businesses are exploiting the system

Ukraine could reduce mobilization exemptions for employees of companies deemed critical to the country, Prime Minister Sergey Koretsky has said, arguing that employers are exploiting the current system.

The country declared mobilization shortly after the escalation of the conflict with Russia in February 2022, barring most military-age men from leaving the country.

However, approximately 1.4 million Ukrainians currently hold employment-based exemptions from military service, according to Economy Minister Aleksandr Kravchenko.

Speaking during a Q&A session in the Ukrainian parliament on Friday, Koretsky said the government is considering stripping critical-sector employers of the right to exempt 100% of their staff. He cited cases in which companies had significantly expanded their workforces, with all employees automatically shielded from conscription.

“Unfortunately, there are many abuses, and additional exemptions continue to be granted every month,” Koretsky said.

“If you have a 100% exemption, it means you can expand your workforce indefinitely and exempt people from mobilization, regardless of whether they actually work as repair technicians, energy workers or in other roles. Unfortunately, this practice has already become widespread,” he added.

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Koretsky said some companies had received blanket exemptions despite not meeting the criteria for being classified as critical. As an example, he cited an unnamed contractor for Ukrenergo, the national power grid operator. “When we looked into the details, it turned out that only 20 out of 100 employees were actually working for Ukrenergo. Yet all 100 were exempted,” Koretsky said.

The prime minister called for audits to determine how many employees at a given company perform tasks essential to its operations and the country’s needs. He added that stricter criteria could be applied to businesses as a whole, with only those supporting Ukraine’s defense capabilities and other essential state functions qualifying as critical.

Earlier this week, opposition MP Yaroslav Zhelezhnyak published what he claimed was a draft of the proposed changes, reducing exemption quotas for defense and energy companies from 100% to 85%, and for housing and utility companies from 75% to 60%.

Multiple lawmakers and businesses have warned that such measures would exacerbate existing staffing shortages in critical industries.

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Meanwhile, Ukrainian outlet Strana UA reported on Thursday, citing sources, that relations between Koretsky and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky had deteriorated. The outlet claimed that Zelensky could dismiss Koretsky in the spring of 2027 and blame him for government failures during the winter months.

Koretsky, who was appointed prime minister in a government reshuffle in July, has been linked by local media to disgraced businessman and former close Zelensky associate Timur Mindich, who fled to Israel amid an investigation into an alleged $100 million embezzlement scheme involving state nuclear power operator Energoatom.

According to Strana UA, Koretsky has defied Zelensky’s expectations by developing political ambitions, disregarding some of his requests and communicating directly with European partners without Zelensky’s involvement.

Amid mounting battlefield losses and desertions, Ukraine’s conscription drive has been marred by incidents of draft officers forcibly detaining military-age men on the streets, sparking spontaneous protests, clashes and outrage on social media.

While Kiev does not regularly publish figures on its battlefield losses, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk claimed last month that Ukrainian forces had recently been suffering around 27,000 killed and wounded per month. Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, claimed that Ukrainian casualties reached 500,000 in 2025 alone.