All hands on deck: what does the government’s decision to fully book defense industry and business workers on the front line mean?
9 September 21:50
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved amendments to the procedure for reserving persons liable for military service, which allow 100% reservation of employees of enterprises operating in the frontline regions, as well as companies of the defense industry, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
Previously, the norm was 50%, now the volume has been doubled.
Who is affected by the changes
- Frontline enterprises. All employees of critical companies that are officially registered and operate in the territories designated by the Ministry of Development are subject to reservation.
- Defense industry. After the liquidation of the Ministry of Strategic Industry, the authority to identify critical defense companies and reserve their personnel was transferred to the Ministry of Defense.
Economic impact
According to government estimates, the innovation will allow
- save jobs in critical regions;
- support the continuous operation of production facilities
- ensure stable tax revenues;
- generate an annual economic effect of over UAH 2 billion.
How the procedure will work
- The company must obtain the status of a critical enterprise (upon submission by the authorized body).
- Applications are submitted through the Diia portal.
- Lists of employees are formed directly by the company.
Why it is important
The changes will allow:
- avoid stopping key production facilities in the frontline areas;
- guarantee the operation of defense industry enterprises during a critical period of war;
- preserve the infrastructure and life support system of the regions.
Thus, the Cabinet’s decision is aimed not only at defense capability, but also at maintaining the economic stability of the state.
Prior to the adoption of these changes, the reservation of persons liable for military service at critical enterprises was limited to 50%.
The issue of reservations was actively discussed in 2023-2025 due to a shortage of workers at industrial enterprises and increased mobilization measures.
In July 2025, the Verkhovna Rada supported the temporary reservation of workers who had problems with military registration, which was the first step towards expanding the approach.
The government’s decision opened up the possibility of full reservation for defense and frontline enterprises. This is an attempt to balance the needs of the army with the need to preserve the country’s industrial and economic potential in times of war.
