The image is seared into the global consciousness: a Ukrainian man, tears streaming down his face, embracing his family on a train platform. It’s a scene that has played out countless times since February 24, 2022, a poignant symbol of sacrifice and resilience. But as the war grinds through its second year and into a third, the world inevitably asks: Is this still happening? Are Ukrainian men still being drafted in 2024?
The short, unequivocal answer is yes.
However, the reality on the ground is far more complex, nuanced, and evolving than a simple yes or no can capture. The process, the laws, the public sentiment, and the very mechanics of how a nation under existential threat sustains its defense force have undergone significant transformations. Understanding the draft in Ukraine today is to understand a nation engaged in a total, brutal war for its very survival.
The Unchanged Reality: A Nation Fighting for Its Existence
First, it is crucial to dispel any notion that the need for mobilization has diminished. The war with Russia remains a high-intensity conflict characterized by artillery duels, drone warfare, and grueling infantry battles across a vast front line in the east and south. Casualty rates, though officially undisclosed, are substantial. The imperative to rotate exhausted troops, cover losses, and build strategic reserves for both defense and future offensives is constant and urgent.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated that Russia has a significant advantage in manpower. To counter this, Ukraine must continue to mobilize its own citizens. The draft is not a policy choice; in the eyes of the Ukrainian government and much of its populace, it is a biological necessity for the nation’s continued existence. The threat has not vanished, and therefore, neither has the duty to serve.
The Legal Framework: How the Draft Works in 2024
The legal basis for conscription in Ukraine is the Martial Law enacted at the war’s outset. Under martial law, all Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 are considered eligible for military service and are subject to mobilization. They are legally barred from leaving the country, with very limited exceptions.
The process itself is managed by the Territorial Recruitment Centers (TRCs), which have replaced the older, often corruption-ridden military commissariats. The system is designed to be more streamlined and fair, though its implementation has been fraught with challenges.
A man can be drafted through several channels:
- Summons: The TRCs issue official summons to appear. In the past, these were often paper documents delivered in person. In 2024, the process has been digitized. Summons can now be sent via a new government app and an online portal called the “Oberih” (Ukrainian for “amulet” or “protection”) registry. This digital shift aims to create a centralized, transparent database, making it harder to evade service.
- Mobilization Notices: These can be delivered at checkpoints, by post, or via employers.
- Volunteering: A significant number of men continue to volunteer, driven by patriotism, a sense of duty after seeing the devastation wrought by Russia, or a desire to join friends and family already serving.
The Great Evolution: The New Mobilization Law of 2024
The most significant development in 2024 is the long-debated and highly controversial new mobilization law, which took effect on May 18, 2024. This law represents a complete overhaul of the conscription system, designed to make it fairer, more efficient, and to expand the pool of eligible recruits. Key provisions include:
- Lowering the Mobilization Age: The age of conscription was lowered from 27 to 25. This instantly expands the pool of available manpower by tapping into a younger demographic.
- Digital Summons: The introduction of the electronic summons via the Oberih registry is a game-changer. Once a summons is issued electronically, it is considered legally delivered. Failure to report can lead to severe penalties, including frozen bank accounts and suspended driver’s licenses.
- Mandatory Medical Examinations: All men of conscription age, including those with deferred status, must update their medical records and undergo a medical exam. This is meant to provide an accurate, up-to-date picture of the nation’s available manpower.
- Tightening Deferrals: The law significantly narrows the grounds for exemption and deferment. While certain categories remain protected (e.g., some—but not all—students in higher education, fathers of three or more children, certain disabled caregivers, and critical workers), the net has been cast much wider.
- Voluntary Surrender for Conscripts: In a stark reflection of the times, the law includes a provision for men who have been mobilized to voluntarily surrender to their military unit if they have lost contact with their command—a scenario not uncommon in the fog of war.
This new law is a direct response to the acute need for soldiers and the widespread problem of evasion. It aims to replace the often arbitrary and corrupt practices of the past with a cold, digital efficiency.
The Human Dimension: Duty, Fear, and Evasion
To view mobilization solely through a legal lens is to miss the profound human drama at its core.
For many, the sense of duty is unwavering. The defense of homeland, family, and freedom is a powerful motivator that has sustained the Ukrainian war effort from the beginning. Men from all walks of life—accountants, artists, engineers, and farmers—have answered the call, trading their civilian lives for a soldier’s existence.
Yet, alongside this patriotism exists a palpable and understandable undercurrent of fear. This is not a fear of fighting, but a fear of the war’s grim reality: the high probability of injury or death, the immense psychological trauma, and the separation from family for an indefinite period. This fear has led to widespread evasion.
Methods of evasion have ranged from the simple (avoiding contact with TRC officials, moving to a different region) to the extreme (attempting dangerous border crossings into neighboring countries). The new digital summons system is specifically designed to combat this by creating an inescapable legal and bureaucratic trap.
The government walks a tightrope: it must mobilize enough soldiers to survive without causing widespread social unrest or crushing public morale. The debates in the Ukrainian parliament over the new mobilization law were fierce, reflecting the deep societal tensions this issue provokes.
Who is Exempt? The Shrinking List of Deferrals
The question of “who has to go and who gets to stay” is a source of intense debate and scrutiny. As per the new law, exemptions are now more limited:
- Critical Workers: Employees in certain defined “critical” industries, such as energy, agriculture, munitions production, and certain government roles, can receive a deferment. Their work is deemed essential to the wartime economy and infrastructure.
- Students: Only students in full-time higher education programs are eligible for a deferment. This excludes part-time and distance-learning students, closing a significant loophole.
- Fathers and Caregivers: Fathers with three or more children under 18, or those who are sole caregivers for a disabled child or spouse, are generally exempt. However, the criteria are strict.
- Health: Unfitness for service, as determined by a military medical commission, remains a primary reason for exemption. The push for updated medical exams is to weed out those who may have obtained dubious medical certificates earlier in the war.
It is important to note that these exemptions are deferments, not permanent pardons. They can be reviewed and revoked as the military’s needs evolve.
The International Perspective: A Necessary Burden
For observers abroad, the continued draft in Ukraine can seem jarring. However, it is a measure taken in the context of a full-scale invasion. Many countries, including Israel and South Korea, have mandatory military service in peacetime. Ukraine’s mobilization is a wartime imperative, widely supported by its allies who understand that without a steady supply of trained Ukrainian soldiers, the military and financial aid they provide cannot be effectively utilized.
The draft ensures that the burden of defense is shared across society, preventing the war from being fought solely by a professional army that would be quickly depleted.
Conclusion: The Unrelenting Call of Duty
So, are Ukrainian men still being drafted in 2024? Absolutely. But it is no longer the ad-hoc, sometimes chaotic process of 2022. It has matured into a more systematic, digital, and harshly pragmatic system governed by a new, stricter law. It is a reflection of a war that has settled into a brutal war of attrition where manpower is as critical a resource as artillery shells or drones.
The story of the Ukrainian draft in 2024 is a story of a nation adapting to survive. It is a story of legal overhaul, digital transformation, and profound human choices. It is about the unwavering spirit of those who answer the call and the desperate measures of those who try to avoid it. Most of all, it is a stark reminder that until the existential threat is removed, the sound of war—and the call to arms—will not fall silent for the men of Ukraine. Their sacrifice remains the stark, human foundation upon which the nation’s future hopes are built.