In Ukraine, there are plans to transfer some intelligence agency personnel to the Armed Forces: SBU, GUR, and foreign intelligence

Bill No. 13346 has been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada proposing amendments to the law “On Military Duty and Military Service.” The bill suggests reinforcing the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) with personnel from Ukraine’s intelligence and security agencies: the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), and the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

A summary of the bill has appeared on the Ukrainian parliament’s official website. The initiative comes from Oleksandr Zavitnevych, head of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense, and intelligence.

The proposed law provides that intelligence officers or SBU personnel may be transferred to the Armed Forces for service, based on mutual agreement between agencies and the receiving military unit. During this process, the individuals would be removed from the official staff lists of their respective agencies and added to the personnel roster of UAF units, followed by retraining.

However, a legal gap exists: there are no formally defined mechanisms for changing the type of military service after such a transfer.

The new bill aims to fix this by stipulating that when a person is transferred from one military formation to another, the original contract remains valid until the day they are removed from the personnel list of their previous unit. If the person refuses to sign a new contract with the receiving unit, they will automatically be considered to be serving under mobilization, as if conscripted.

For context: As of the end of 2024, Ukraine’s police force included around 70,000 to 75,000 male officers aged 25–60, with 90% of them exempt from mobilization. Last summer, the Cabinet of Ministers allowed for up to 100% of police and emergency services personnel (including the State Emergency Service) to be shielded from conscription.