Around one and a half million Ukrainian men of conscription age are on a wanted list because they failed to update their data at territorial recruitment centers, MP Halyna Yanchenko told TSN. She called the figure “astronomical” and stressed the need for a systemic fix.
According to Yanchenko, when such men are stopped by recruitment officers, they are immediately entered into the military registry. At the same time, even those who wanted to take official jobs at defense enterprises often could not do so without updating their records and passing a medical commission (VLC) — creating a vicious circle, she said: companies are desperate for staff, while a large number of men “sit at home, hiding,” outside the formal labor market.
To break this deadlock, the Verkhovna Rada last week passed a bill authored by Halyna Yanchenko, Davyd Arakhamia and Oleksandr Zavitnevych. The measure is meant to build a “bridge” between defense companies and men with outdated records: enterprises will be able to temporarily “freeze” candidates they need for 45 days even if they have registry issues. During that time, the candidate must undergo the VLC and other required procedures, after which he can be officially reserved by the company.
Yanchenko emphasized that this gives the defense sector a potential talent pool of 1.5 million people, while those individuals get a “second chance” to return to formal employment and contribute to Ukraine’s defense capability. She said entry-level factory roles start at 20,000–30,000 hryvnias per month, while narrow specialists, engineers and R&D staff can earn several thousand dollars. Yanchenko concluded that the new law will reinforce the defense industry with personnel and bring a significant share of the population back into economic life.