"Honest Contract" with the Armed Forces: How Ukraine plans to encourage 18-year-old young men to enlist in the military.

Ukraine is finalizing the development of a reform for voluntary enlistment of men aged 18 to 25 into the Armed Forces. According to Pavel Palisa, the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office, the plan—a "fair contract"—includes financial incentives, clear guarantees of training, and measures to ensure dialogue between the soldier and commander.

He emphasized that the plan aims to attract 18-25-year-olds who are exempt from conscription. Furthermore, this could help respond to calls from the Trump administration suggesting that Ukraine could increase its army size by lowering the conscription age.

"In fact, we have a vast mobilization resource. In my opinion, at this moment, it exceeds what we need to address specific tasks at the front. The mechanism we currently have does not allow us to be as effective as we could be," said Pavel Palisa.

Attracting 18-25-Year-Olds to the Armed Forces: How Ukraine Will Encourage Men

Former SBU officer and military analyst Ivan Stupak believes that the reform for voluntary enlistment of men aged 18-25 may be a reflection of the U.S. demand to lower the conscription age.

Thus, Ukraine could offer certain incentives, namely money, housing loans, preferential vehicle imports, and similar benefits. However, the analyst finds it difficult to determine how effective such incentives will be in attracting youth to the Armed Forces. According to him, it is crucial for the government to fulfill its promises.

"We've already seen this with the military. Many promises have been made, but only a small part has been fulfilled," he noted.

"The contract includes material and financial support, combat participation payments at the time of contract signing, and most importantly—a social package. Upon contract completion, there is the possibility of obtaining higher education, etc.," Stenihev stated.

In his opinion, the discussion may also involve a social package in case of injury or concussion, and financial compensation in the event of death. He is convinced that this should encourage Ukrainians aged 18 to 25 to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense.

Stenihev reminded that the current conscription age is 25; however, there is certain political pressure from Ukrainian partners to lower it to 18. The Ukrainian political leadership will not lower the mobilization age to avoid societal tension. Instead, the authorities have opted for material incentives. How effective this will be in attracting young men remains to be seen.

"But considering the experience of the occupying country, this is a serious incentive for replenishing personnel. For comparison, in Russia, the number of contract soldiers for the year 2024 has increased sixfold compared to 2023. This means that appropriate conditions are being created—financial support that allows for a decent salary and, most importantly, a social package from the state," the analyst declared.

According to him, the plan for voluntary enlistment of youth is referred to as a "fair contract" because an individual, upon signing the contract, chooses a military specialty. This means there is no forced conscription or dispatch by orders received at the TCC.

"A person chooses the military unit and specialty themselves and thus receives guarantees from the state. Essentially, conditions are being created where a person is encouraged to make a conscious choice to defend their country, but under terms that satisfy them. This means it's not about forcing someone who wants to be a drone operator to be sent into assault units," he explained.

Will Ukraine Be Able to Encourage Youth to Join the Army?

When asked whether Ukraine could offer any bonuses to attract men under 25 to the Armed Forces, Stupak replied that the main thing is for promises to be kept. He noted that Ukrainians appreciate the Western lifestyle, as it offers confidence and guarantees, particularly when it comes to insurance—if it exists, it works.

"If these promises are fulfilled, there will be no questions. But if it goes as usual—promised but not delivered... Look at the guaranteed payment—100,000 to our military. But they are not receiving it; there have been numerous complaints—delays, underpayments, and fraud," he clarified.

Ivan Stupak added that people in the rear areas are reluctant to join the army because they hear about these problems within the military.

Stenihev clarified that Russia's mobilization reserve is four times larger than Ukraine's. Thus, Russia has a reserve of 15 million, while Ukraine has only five. As a result, the adversary consistently has an advantage in manpower, while the main issue for the Defense Forces at the front is not a lack of artillery shells or offensive weapons, but rather personnel.

"These are the challenges that the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine faces. We need to form new brigades and replenish existing ones through such contracts. And, accordingly, this is a question that reduces political pressure from our partners. This demonstrates our readiness for compromises even on this sensitive issue," he added.

Recall that on January 23, media reported that U.S. President Donald Trump may insist on lowering the mobilization age in Ukraine to 18 years. Specifically, this could happen in exchange for military aid.