Ukraine's Cabinet approves draft changes to military reservation rules for critically important enterprises
On 13 October, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved a draft resolution changing the rules for reserving military conscripts during mobilization, to be finalized within five days. The draft would cut reservation quotas for defense-industrial and energy enterprises from 100% to 85%, and from 75% to 60% for heat supply, water utilities, and waste management, while a new Coordination Center under the Cabinet would take over decisions on critically important enterprise status.
Key points
- On 13 October, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a resolution on reservation rules, to be finalized within five days.
- Reservation quota for defense-industrial complex and energy enterprises is to drop from 100% to 85%.
- Quota for heat supply, water utilities, and household waste management is to drop from 75% to 60%.
- Quota for other critically important enterprises remains at 50%.
- A 17-member Coordination Center under the Cabinet, co-chaired by the Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Defense, will decide critically important status.
- By 20 October, ministries and regional state administrations must revise criteria for critically important enterprises.
- Decisions on reservation limits above 50% will be valid for up to one year and must be processed through the Diia app within five business days.
- As of September, approximately 1.4 million people were reserved from mobilization in Ukraine, with the largest share in the processing industry.
Why it matters
The reservation system determines which workers at key enterprises are deferred from mobilization, shaping both the wartime economy and the pool of available conscripts. Lower quotas for defense, energy, heat, water, and waste management would mean more employees potentially called up, while centralizing status decisions in a new Cabinet-level Coordination Center would shift the process away from the Ministry of Defense and an existing Interagency Working Group. Existing critically important statuses and previously granted reservations above the new limits may be reassessed, but the draft does not yet spell out what happens to them.
What happened
On 13 October, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved a draft resolution titled "On Certain Issues of Organizing the Reservation of Military Conscripts During the Period of Mobilization and Wartime," which is to be refined within five days. Information about the decision was reported by Verkhovna Rada member Yaroslav Zhelezniak of the Holos faction. The draft would cut the reservation quota for defense-industrial complex and energy enterprises from 100% to 85%, and for heat supply, water utilities, and household waste management from 75% to 60%, while leaving the 50% ceiling for other critically important enterprises unchanged. A new 17-member Coordination Center under the Cabinet of Ministers, co-chaired by the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Defense and including the SBU, GUR, SZR, National Police, Pension Fund of Ukraine, and Derzhpratsi, would take over the role of granting and revoking critically important status. Enterprises will not be able to obtain that status or set a reservation limit above 50% without a recommendation from the Center, and the Center may recommend cancellation of such status. By 20 October, ministries and regional state administrations must review criteria for critically important enterprises and coordinate them with the Center. Decisions on limits above 50% will be valid for up to one year, and if a reservation is not processed through the Diia app within five business days, the decision will lapse. The calculation may still include employees already deferred from mobilization, such as students, caregivers, and fathers of three children. According to Zhelezniak's sources, a provision on changing the calculation base for the 50% limit may have been removed from the draft, and the document does not yet address the fate of reservations already granted above the new ceilings. As of September, approximately 1.4 million people were reserved from mobilization in Ukraine, with the largest share in the processing industry. Defense Minister Yevheniy Khmara, as named in the source, has previously said the ministry advocates maximum reservation for defense-industrial complex employees.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage, led by outlets including ZN.UA, Forbes Ukraine, hromadske, NV, and Interfax-Ukraine, focused on the business community's response and the operational consequences for critical infrastructure. The European Business Association called for open dialogue and an impact assessment before any tightening, noting that all critically important businesses had renewed or newly obtained their status by 1 September under updated requirements. Deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration Petro Panteleiev warned that the worker shortage is already being felt and that cuts to reservation for energy and water utilities ahead of the heating season would be harmful. Zhelezniak's reporting drove much of the detail, including the specific quota numbers and the creation of the new Coordination Center.
Background
Ukraine's wartime reservation system allows certain categories of workers, including employees of critically important enterprises, to be deferred from mobilization. Quotas currently range from 50% to 100% depending on the sector. Until now, the status of critically important enterprise was decided by the Ministry of Defense together with an Interagency Working Group. Defense Minister Yevheniy Khmara, as named in the source, has previously stated that the ministry advocates maximum reservation from mobilization for employees of the defense-industrial complex. The EBA cited CMU resolutions No. 692 of 30 May and No. 862 of 1 July 2026 as the updated requirements and criteria for the critically important status, and noted that all critically important businesses had extended or newly obtained that status by 1 September under the new rules.