The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has expanded the number of brigades available for new Gen Z-age volunteers to join under the ‘Contract 18-24’ programme to include attack drone units, as Ukraine seeks to fill the ranks of combat-facing personnel.
With conscription into Ukraine’s military currently applicable for Ukraine citizens aged 25-60, the Contract 18-24 is designed to incentivise younger adults into military service through a range of financial benefits.
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This includes a contract worth Hrv1m ($24,900), with Hrv200,000 paid immediately upon signing and the remaining Hrv800,000 disbursed in two instalments.
The Ukrainian MoD states that volunteers under the Contract 18-24 deal will receive service pay of up to Hrv120,000 per month, along with additional payments for combat missions.
The total amount can reach up to Hrv2m per year. In addition, those enrolled on Contract 18-24 will be eligible for a zero-interest mortgage, state-funded education and training, free medical care, and the right to travel abroad after one year of service.
Volunteering through the scheme also provides a 12-month exemption from mobilisation following the completion of the contract.
With the average monthly salary in Ukraine of approximately $500 and the Contract 18-24 deal offering a standing pay of around $2,900 as well as the bonuses, the financial incentives for non-conscript age citizens is considerable.
However, the risks are significant, with a combined casualty count in the Ukraine-Russia war of more than one million either killed or wounded in action since February 2022.
Drone units to accept Contract 18-24 personnel
Announced on 26 March, the expansion of units open to recruits under the Contract 18-24 now enables recruits to sign a deal with a unit from the Ukrainian Land Forces, Naval Force, Air Assault Forces, or the Unmanned Systems Forces.
The newly available units comprise the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade; 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade; 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade; 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade; 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade; 36th Separate Marine Brigade; 39th Separate Coast Guard Brigade of the 30th Marine Corps; 25th Separate Airborne Brigade; 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade; and the 59th Separate Assault Brigade.
These join the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade, the 38th Separate Marine Brigade, the 28th Separate Mechanized Brigade, the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade, and the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, in being open for Contract 18-24 recruits.
Applications can be made online, or via the Reserve+ app, expanded in 2024 in a bid to drive military recruitment and conscription.
The use of small drones in a combat surveillance or strike role has increased exponentially since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, with both sides deploying thousands of such systems across the frontline.
Countless videos showing the horrifying efficacy of small ‘suicide’ drones targeting vehicles or individual soldiers on both sides have been posted.
Such has been the influence of small drones – mostly adapted commercial platforms fitted with grenades or other impact munition – in combat operations in Ukraine that Western militaries are rewriting their concepts of operations to both counter and harness such capabilities.
Reserve+ app expands conscription deferment
Meanwhile, the MoD announced on 27 March that the Reserve+ app now enables conscription deferment requests from persons with disabilities whose data is registered in the Unified Social Services Information System (USSIS).
Previously, only individuals who held a corresponding pension certificate were eligible for an online deferral.
“We are working to ensure that all categories of deferments are accessible within the application, allowing users to obtain them without waiting in queues or completing paperwork,” said Kateryna Chernohorenko, Deputy Minister of Defence for Digital Development.
Deferment requests through the Reserve+ app was initially introduced in the autumn of 2024 for three categories: individuals with disabilities holding a pension certificate; students, postgraduates, and doctoral students; and parents with three or more children under 18 years of age in a joint marriage.
