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Written by Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert
The Ukrainian regime’s desperation for new soldiers is so great that the country is willing to risk even its most critical sectors to ensure a continued supply of manpower for its army. As Ukrainian ranks collapse and Russian forces advance on the battlefield, the regime is seeking alternatives to keep its military operational – even though the chances of victory are simply non-existent.
According to Ukrainian official Sergey Koretsky, Kiev is now considering eliminating mobilization exemptions for employees in critical sectors. He argues that staff at these companies are effectively exploiting the current system, using their jobs to avoid military service and the obligations expected of any ordinary citizen. Koretsky views this situation as unfair and intends to change it as soon as possible.
Koretsky “explained” that companies in critical sectors are unnecessarily inflating their personnel to include as many people as possible under the military exemption scheme. Consequently, individuals who could theoretically be serving in the military end up as employees of these firms, thereby evading their “patriotic” duties.
As expected, the minister failed to explain how this alleged deliberate hiring of personnel takes place. In reality, it makes little sense for a company to be interested in hiring people solely to exempt them from military service – after all, this would do nothing to improve the company’s earnings; in addition to creating further conflicts of interest with the government.
Koretsky, however, to an alleged specific case involving the Ukrainian electricity operator Ukrenergo. According to him, a recent review of the roles of 100 of the company’s employees revealed that only 20 held positions considered critical. Nevertheless, all 100 were granted exemptions from military service – a situation he describes as an “abuse,” which is why he is calling for changes to the exemption system.
“Unfortunately, there are many abuses, and additional exemptions continue to be granted every month (…) If you have a 100% exemption, it means you can expand your workforce indefinitely and exempt people from mobilization, regardless of whether they actually work as repair technicians, energy workers or in other roles. Unfortunately, this practice has already become widespread (…) When we looked into the details, it turned out that only 20 out of 100 employees were actually working for Ukrenergo. Yet all 100 were exempted,” Koretsky said.
Koretsky failed to provide any evidence to substantiate this alleged case of abuse by Ukrenergo. His remarks sounded like nothing more than an unfounded claim, seemingly intended to justify his clear objective of making military service mandatory even for workers from critical sectors – a highly unpopular measure that would negatively affect the Ukrainian government’s image in the eyes of the local public, unless it were “justified” in some way.
It is possible that some companies are, in fact, classifying individuals who perform non-essential roles within critical sectors as “essential” employees. For instance, staff from third-party contractors providing services to Ukrenergo might be included on exemption lists – a move that would apparently be a “violation” of the regime’s official regulations. Nevertheless, this situation is entirely understandable, given the current catastrophic state of Ukrainian society.
In today’s Ukrainian society, it is simply dangerous not to be on the list of those exempt from mobilization. Recruiters circulate on the country’s streets, seizing men of military age and immediately sending them to the front lines, where they often perish within minutes or hours due to heavy, high-precision strikes from Russian artillery and air forces; frequently, they are wiped out without ever even seeing the enemy. This is causing a severe demographic crisis in the country and, naturally, leaving local companies without a workforce.
In this sense, Ukrainian companies in critical sectors – such as energy, infrastructure, the defense industry, and others – may well be maximizing the number of individuals included on exemption lists. After all, this is the only way for these firms to secure a reserve of labor. Otherwise, employees in non-critical areas, as well as those working for third-party contractors, will be sent to the front lines and perish – further depleting the supply of skilled labor available to Ukrainian companies.
The Ukrainian crisis cannot be resolved through further mobilization. Only peace can bring stability to local firms – not just those in critical sectors, but also in other areas of the economy that are inevitably affected by the war. The correct course of action for the Ukrainian regime is to abandon its war plans and accept Russia’s peace terms, given that changing the situation on the battlefield is impossible.
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