In Ukraine, defense-industrial complex (DIC) enterprises are expected to be granted an additional 31 days to adapt to the new rules for reserving conscripts. UNN reports this, citing the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine.
This is related to the government's decision to reduce the standard reservation quota from 100% to 95%. At the same time, the changes concern not only the defense industry but also fuel and energy companies.
What the Ministry of Economy proposes
According to information published by the Ministry of Economy on November 12 and clarifications issued on November 13–14, the following measures are envisaged:
- 31 days for adaptation. DIC and energy companies are to receive additional time to review the number of reserved employees;
- retention of key specialists. The changes should not affect employees directly responsible for production processes, the fulfillment of defense contracts, and emergency restoration work;
- extension of critical enterprise status. For companies whose respective status expires in November or December 2026, a separate mechanism has been prepared for automatic extension until February 1, 2027;
- review of criticality criteria. Government bodies are updating the conditions that enterprises must meet to retain the right to reserve employees.
Why the government reduced the quota to 95%
On October 23, 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Resolution No. 1328, which amended the procedure for reserving conscripts. The document provides for a review of sectoral criticality criteria, the establishment of a Coordination Center for Organizing Reservations, and new restrictions for certain categories of enterprises.
For defense and energy companies covered by the relevant provisions of the resolution, a basic limit of 95% of conscript employees has been established.
At the same time, the resolution allows more than 95% of employees to be reserved by a separate decision of the Ministry of Defense or the Ministry of Energy, taking into account the agreed recommendations of the Coordination Center.
What will happen to employees who have already been reserved
According to a clarification from the Ministry of Economy dated November 12, DIC and energy companies were required to bring the number of reservations into line with the new quota by November 10, 2026. If an enterprise exceeds the established limit by more than ten working days, this may constitute grounds for canceling its critical enterprise status.
Up to 15% of enterprises may lose their critical status
On November 13, Minister of Economy and Environment Oleksandr Kravchenko said on television that after the requirements are reviewed, approximately 10–15% of Ukrainian enterprises may cease to meet the criticality criteria.
According to the head of the relevant ministry, the Coordination Center has already held three meetings. Most of the updated criteria have been submitted to the Ministry of Justice for approval, while the remainder is planned to be finalized in the coming weeks. Companies that lose their status after the review will be able to resubmit their documents if they have other valid grounds.
How the requirements for critical enterprises will change
In addition to meeting financial and sectoral indicators, when newly obtaining or routinely confirming their status, an enterprise will have to substantiate that termination of its activities would harm the country's defense capability, the life support of the population, critical infrastructure, or the state's macrofinancial stability.
An enterprise must also operate in one of the 13 designated critical sectors. These include the defense industry, energy, transport, communications, IT, medicine, construction, and agricultural production.
If the criteria under which an enterprise previously obtained its status remain unchanged, the mere revision of the rules does not mean an automatic loss of criticality.
How weapons manufacturers reacted
On November 13, the National Association of Ukraine's Defense Industries (NAUDI) appealed to Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi with a proposal to ease the transition to the new rules.
The association insisted on retaining a 100-percent quota for the relevant defense enterprises until February 1, 2027, the automatic extension of existing reservations and criticality statuses, and thereafter setting the validity period of such decisions at no less than 12 months. Industry representatives warned that frequent rechecking of documents and possible delays in state registers could lead to engineers, designers, and operators of complex equipment losing their reservations.
In the association’s view, this creates risks for the fulfillment of defense orders.
Let us recall
Earlier, UNN reported that the Cabinet of Ministers was preparing the automatic extension of the status of critical enterprises until February 1, 2027.