Martial law in Ukraine: who can be mobilized in December

Martial law and general mobilization continue in Ukraine. During this period, men liable for military service who receive draft notices are subject to conscription.

The media have already reported who is exempt from conscription as of 1 December.

Mobilization processes in Ukraine are regulated by the relevant legislation. Thus, according to Article 23 of the Law “On Mobilization and Mobilization Preparation,” the following are not subject to conscription:

• students studying at a university for the first time and in full-time (day) form;

• young men under 25 who have not undergone military training;

• men over 60;

• parents of three or more children, or guardians of a single orphaned child;

• single parents;

• parents of a minor son or daughter with a disability, a seriously ill child, or a child over 18 with disability group I–II;

• employees reserved (formally “booked”) as working in critical infrastructure;

• permanent caregivers of close relatives with disabilities or serious illnesses;

• guardians of legally incapacitated relatives;

• persons with disabilities of any group;

• husbands of women with disability group I or II, as well as group III in cases of oncology or amputations;

• husbands of servicewomen (women currently serving in the armed forces);

• seriously ill men deemed unfit for service;

• those released from Russian captivity;

• men whose close relatives are missing or were killed as a result of hostilities;

• members of parliament, judges, diplomats and certain other categories.

At the same time, despite these safeguards and legal provisions, strict mobilization measures continue in Ukraine. Social media and news outlets regularly report cases of draft notices being handed out by force, men being detained on the streets and in public places, and conflicts with those liable for service when attempts are made to take them to military enlistment offices. Human rights advocates and lawyers point to numerous complaints about violations of citizens’ rights and the ignoring of certain grounds for deferment, while the authorities emphasize that all such abuses are illegal and subject to investigation.

A separate layer of the problem is corruption in the system of territorial recruitment centers and enlistment offices. After a series of high-profile investigations into the luxury property of some enlistment officers and abuses in TRCs, all heads of regional recruitment centers were dismissed in 2023, more than a hundred criminal proceedings were opened, and large-scale inspections were launched. However, corruption scandals have continued to erupt in 2024–2025.

At the same time, public discussion increasingly mentions so-called “buyout price lists” at different stages of mobilization, with amounts reportedly reaching €25,000.