Ukraine wants to extend special contracts for military service: for the age of 24+
Ukraine is planning to expand the program of special contracts for military service, in particular by increasing the age at which they can be signed. This was announced by president Volodymyr Zelenskyy after meetings with the command and government officials and a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff.
"The program [Contract 18-24] should be expanded. Today we discussed some options, including increasing the age and circumstances under which this particular contract format can be concluded," Zelenskyy said.
He announced that the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the Presidential Office team would present details to the public.
The ways to implement this and other initiatives should be reported by Monday, August 11, the head of state said. In addition, he instructed to increase funding for teams to purchase drones, expand opportunities to purchase pickup trucks, improve training based on war experience, and digitize the process of awarding defenders (read more here).
Earlier, at the end of July, the Cabinet of Ministers decided to on the expansion of the "Contract 18-24" program and the launch of a separate direction for drone operators, which applies to both UAVs and ground robots.
This is a project launched by the Ministry of Defense in February 2025 for men of non-conscription age. Under it, Ukrainians aged 18-24 can sign a contract and receive special conditions. In particular, it provides for a payment of UAH 1 million (UAH 200,000 immediately, the rest during service), a zero-interest mortgage, and other benefits (read more here).
This project appeared against the backdrop of the Ukrainian authorities' refusal to lower the age of mobilization.
- In April 2025, the deputy head of the OP reported that up to 500 people had joined the army under Contract 18-24 in two months, there were another 1500 people at the stage of signing the contract. At that time, the project concerned only combat positions.
- In July, Armed Forces chief Syrskyi reported that a survey evaluating the Contract 18-24 initiative found that more than half of respondents were motivated by financial support and if it were increased, there would be more people willing to participate.
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