A million and clear deadlines. Will the government be able to "refresh" the army without coercion?

Armies Need Resilient Soldiers

The average age of Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines is between 43 and 45 years, reported Bloomberg in May 2024, citing a senior military official. At the same time, there is a shortage of fighters under the age of 30. This is the age when individuals typically possess better physical fitness, vision, and hearing.

“The front lines need individuals capable of putting on a bulletproof vest and helmet, grabbing a rifle, packing several hundred rounds of ammunition in a backpack, running five kilometers with all of this, and then still being able to perform a combat task: storming, defending, etc.”, said military expert Pavel Narozhny in an interview with hromadske.

Media reports have repeatedly stated that the White House is pressuring Kyiv to consider lowering the conscription age for its soldiers to 18. However, the military-political leadership of Ukraine is not prepared to take such a step.

“Those who simply talk about lowering the mobilization age are populists, because modern armies do not fight with sheer numbers,” says military expert and Deputy Director of the Army Research Center, Mikhail Samus, to hromadske.

He reminded that the Ukrainian Defense Forces have already stopped forming new brigades, focusing instead on replenishing existing ones. The issue is not the number of brigades but rather the management system's inefficiency.

We need to create a corps-level unit that will take control of at least the more than 100 brigades we currently have. We could lower the conscription age now and mobilize everyone, creating 300 brigades, but that would just lead to chaos. It would cause more harm than good.Mikhail Samus, military expert

The “Contract 18-24” program is precisely the alternative aimed at "youthing" the army without resorting to legislative changes or coercing young people to serve.

A Million Will Be There, But Not Immediately

The program announced by the Ministry of Defense provides for voluntary contract service for citizens aged 18 to 24. In just one year of service, they are promised competitive payments and social guarantees that are not available in civilian life.

Those wishing to join the service are promised a payment of one million hryvnias. As clarified by the Ministry of Defense spokesperson, Dmitry Lazutkin, during a telethon, the reward will be paid in installments: 200,000 will be paid immediately after signing the contract, another 300,000 after completing training, and the remaining amount after the contract ends. Additionally, military personnel will receive a salary based on the completion of combat tasks.

Men aged 18-24 will have the opportunity to choose their place of VKK service, military unit, and specialty. They will also receive compensation for housing rent during their service, full medical coverage, free transportation, and utility benefits.

These benefits will also apply after the contract ends. Thus, young men will be able to obtain a mortgage at 0% interest under the “єOselya” program, enroll in their desired VUZ with state funding, and have the right to travel abroad.

Can soldiers who signed a contract before turning 25 transition to new contracts? Lazutkin replied that legal expertise might be needed for this issue. However, the government has not provided such an option in its resolution. At the same time, he noted that this category of soldiers would also be eligible for the one million hryvnias payment.

Importantly, under this program, young volunteers must join combat brigades. Currently, the list includes 6 brigades: 10 OGSHB, 28 OMB, 38 OBRMP, 72 OMB, 92 OSHB, and 95 ODSHB.

Ministry of Defense representative Dmitry Lazutin explained that the motivational contract would be concluded for positions currently needed by the army: shooter, senior shooter, sniper, sanitary shooter, assistant grenade launcher, grenade launcher, senior grenade launcher, scout, and senior scout.

“When Will We Rest?”

Soldiers who spoke to hromadske reacted differently to the Ministry of Defense's initiative for motivational contracts for youth.

22-year-old soldier from Special Operations Forces Timur was mobilized at 19 but did not sign any contract. He is unsure whether all promises will actually be fulfilled. While he is interested in the motivational contract offers, he cannot switch to it. The Ministry of Defense clarified in a comment to hromadske that the resolution does not allow this for those mobilized before 25. At the same time, they will have the right to receive the one million hryvnias payment.

Such monetary incentives may also apply to 24-year-old soldier SSO Dmitry, who signed a contract last year. In a comment to hromadske, he stated that he supports such financial support for the youth.

I have been saying since 2022 that people need to be attracted with financial "perks," not "bussification," because it makes no sense otherwise. The fact that this category will have a clear term is normal because 18-20 years are still children who may not be able to handle it all, so they will have the option to continue or resign.Dmitry, soldier of Special Operations Forces

At the same time, the soldier noted that he is frustrated by the lack of service terms for other fighters. He says many operations "fail" simply because people are unmotivated and physically exhausted.

“They have no time to recover because the authorities cannot properly organize mobilization for rotations. Society, unprepared to change personnel, is also responsible. It is clear that we cannot speak of clear service terms or demobilization because there is no one left to fight. This is a shared responsibility of the state and the people,” notes Dmitry.

Many soldiers expressed their sense of injustice regarding such conditions in relation to other military personnel. For instance, combat medic Alina Mikhaylova wrote that instead of adequately appreciating those who have been standing in line and risking their lives since 2014 or 2022, the government "simply ignores their needs."

“When I was first mobilized, I was not paid a salary for five months. And there are thousands like me. Some have still not received payments for injuries. Some are suing for compensation for a fallen comrade. But suddenly, in the twelfth year of war, billions of hryvnias are found to attract new contractors—with money, social packages, and "bonuses." And this is not just injustice. It is discrimination,” believes Mikhaylova.

Soldier Yevgeny Spirin called the initiative with contracts “a brief instruction on how to create a rift” within the state.

A good start would be to foster the spirit of brotherhood in the modern army, to nurture respect and equality. "Serve, boys. Here’s a million, a house, and then after a year, you can go to Madeira. And those scraps, what can we get from them? They will just die here; who needs them, the used trash?"Yevgeny Spirin, journalist and soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Sergeant Yaroslav Movchun also expressed his views on the contracts. He believes that the contract conditions for youth are not entirely favorable either. In particular, mortgages are hard to access due to the large down payment, which a 20-year-old may struggle to afford after service since soldiers often spend their money on equipment.

According to Movchun, the choice of unit for service exists only formally because fighters can be transferred to where they are needed. He also doubts whether young people will indeed be able to leave the military after their contracts end.

“In my personal opinion, this is a blatant slap in the face for those who have been performing combat tasks for years. Many are simply underpaid, making personal purchases for their own REB and vehicle repairs, or constantly fundraising for these needs… And here: "Come, we’ll give you a million hryvnias." This will not improve anything,” wrote the soldier.

Preferences Are Needed for More Than Just Youth

Will motivational contracts succeed in increasing youth mobilization? The Ministry of Defense believes so. The department's spokesperson, Andrey Lazutkin, stated that from the very first days, he sees interest and "a certain excitement