Creation of a Coordination Center, new criteria and limits — the Cabinet of Ministers published changes to the reservation rules
Kyiv • UNN
The Cabinet of Ministers created a Coordination Center and introduced new criteria for the criticality of enterprises. A reservation limit of up to 95% was established for the defense industry and energy sector.
New rules for reserving conscripts in Ukraine are coming into force. They include, in particular, changes involving reductions in reservation limits for defense-industry and energy-sector employees, the establishment of new criteria for determining whether enterprises are critical, as well as the creation of a Coordination Center for Organizing Reservations. UNN reports this, with a reference to Government Resolution No. 1328.
Coordination Center for Organizing Reservations
According to the resolution, a Coordination Center for Organizing the Reservation of Conscripts for the Period of Mobilization and Wartime is to be established.
It will include:
- the Deputy Minister of Economy and Environment, co-chair of the center;
- the Deputy Minister of Defense, co-chair of the center;
- the Deputy State Secretary of the Cabinet of Ministers;
- the Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation;
- the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs;
- the Deputy Minister for Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport;
- the Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food;
- the Deputy Head of the Office of the President (subject to consent);
- the State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy;
- the Deputy Chief of the General Staff (subject to consent);
- the First Deputy Head of the State Border Guard Service;
- the Deputy Head of the National Police;
- the Deputy Head of the Pension Fund;
- the Deputy Head of the State Labor Service;
- representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Foreign Intelligence Service, and the Main Intelligence Directorate (subject to consent);
- a representative of the Ministry of Economy.
The Coordination Center has been assigned the following tasks:
- facilitating coordination among central and local executive authorities, other state bodies, and state administration bodies on issues related to reserving conscripts for the period of mobilization and wartime;
- submitting proposals on ways, mechanisms, and methods for resolving issues related to reserving conscripts for the period of mobilization and wartime;
- considering proposals from state bodies to increase the number of conscripts reserved for the period of mobilization and wartime;
- considering proposals from state bodies concerning the designation of enterprises, institutions, and organizations as critically important for the functioning of the economy and ensuring the livelihoods of the population during a special period, and as critically important for meeting the needs of the Armed Forces and other military formations during a special period;
- monitoring information concerning conscript employees of enterprises, institutions, and organizations;
- providing state bodies with recommendations and proposals on canceling decisions designating enterprises as critical.
The Regulation on the Center establishes clear procedures for the work of the advisory body. In particular, it sets strict deadlines for considering appeals from government bodies—no more than one month. Decisions designating enterprises as critically important remain within the competence of the authorized state bodies. At the same time, proposals from the Coordination Center are subject to consideration by central executive authorities and regional military administrations.
Determining critical status and reservation quotas
According to the resolution, within 10 days, state bodies and regional administrations must review the criteria for determining critical status and verify the enterprises that have already received this status. If the grounds for granting it are eliminated, the decision on critical status may be revoked ahead of schedule.
Decisions designating an enterprise as critical that are in force as of the date this resolution enters into force shall remain valid for the period for which they were adopted. The exception is decisions canceled as a result of the review of the criteria.
Decisions by the Minister of Defense to increase the number of conscripts reserved, adopted after December 8, 2025, shall also remain valid for the entire period of validity of the decision designating the enterprise as critical.
From now on, every decision designating an enterprise as critical must be preceded by a recommendation from the Coordination Center. The government body considers an appeal within up to 7 working days, the Center within up to 1 month, and the decision is then made within 3 working days.
The Coordination Center will approve increases in reservation quotas exceeding 50%.
Justified proposals to increase the number of persons liable for military service to be reserved are submitted to the Coordination Center by the relevant state body that made the decision to designate the enterprise, institution, or organization as critically important.
The grounds for the Coordination Center refusing to consider justified proposals to increase the number of reservations include, in particular, establishing facts of systematic violations by the head of a critically important institution of the legislative requirements governing the organization and maintenance of military registration, including the existence, within the past 12 months, of two or more documented instances of such violations and/or the head being held administratively liable for committing them.
New requirements are also being established for representative offices of donor institutions. In particular, the number of persons liable for military service who hold positions in representative offices of donor institutions and implementers of international technical assistance projects and who are subject to reservation must not exceed 50% of the number of employees liable for military service who are directly involved in carrying out the tasks of a single project, and must not exceed seven people.
The government has set a maximum reservation level of up to 95% of employees liable for military service for enterprises in the fuel and energy and defense-industrial sectors. However, this decision may be revised upward by the Coordination Center, although it may reject the proposal if facts are established of systematic violations by the head of a critically important institution of the legislative requirements governing the organization and maintenance of military registration.
Which enterprises may be recognized as critically important
Critically important status may be granted to enterprises, as confirmed by verifiable indicators, and to enterprises, institutions, and organizations in the humanitarian sphere, exclusively those that are critically important for ensuring the functioning of the state during a special period and whose continuous operation is necessary during a special period, including those operating in the following sectors:
- defense-industrial sector;
- fuel and energy sector;
- housing and utilities;
- extractive industry;
- processing industry;
- agricultural production, including ensuring food security;
- retail trade;
- construction;
- transport and logistics;
- information technology;
- banking; healthcare;
- communications;
- carrying out emergency rescue and other urgent work (emergency rescue services).
Other sectors qualifying as critical for enterprises will be determined only with the Center’s approval. Regional administrations determine only sectors ranging from energy to transport. The defense industry, IT, banks, healthcare, and communications will receive this status only through a central body.