Main points
- The Law on Mobilization does not provide for mandatory mobilization of women in Ukraine; they can join the army voluntarily.
- Women with medical or pharmaceutical education are subject to military registration, but this does not mean their mandatory conscription into service.
- The list of specialties for military registration includes fields from medicine to computer science, where women can be registered at their request.
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The new law on mobilization tightens the rules of military registration. What rules apply to women.
After the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia on February 24, 2022, 62,000 women joined the Armed Forces. Will there be a mobilization of women in March, Channel 24 found out.
Women's mobilization in Ukraine
As of 2025 , more than 45,000 women are serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Of these, 13,487 have the status of combatants, and more than 4,000 are currently in active combat zones.
The Law on Mobilization, which came into force on May 18, 2024, provides for increased military registration for men, but practically does not change the rules for women. In Ukraine, there is no mandatory mobilization for women – they can only join the army voluntarily. They also have the right to resign from service at any time in accordance with current legislation.
In early February 2025, updated provisions of the law on military service came into force in Ukraine. They provide for the possibility of registering women who voluntarily expressed a desire to undergo military service. They also oblige representatives of certain professions to provide information about their education. There is no conscription of women into military service against their will.
Women who meet health and age requirements and want to undergo basic military training are registered as conscripts before the start of training.
In addition, mandatory military registration applies to women with medical or pharmaceutical education. Women with other specialties related to military registration can register at their own request.
Women registered in the military may be called up for service in wartime on a voluntary basis. In peacetime, women may enter into a contract for military service or serve in the military reserve.
Women perform military service on an equal basis with men, except in cases related to the protection of motherhood and childhood. This includes voluntary acceptance (under contract) and conscription into military service, military service, military reserve service, military duty in the reserve, and compliance with military registration rules.
Accounting for medical professionals
Women who have a medical or pharmaceutical education and do not have contraindications due to health conditions are subject to military registration . However, this does not mean their mandatory conscription into service.
Educational institutions that train specialists in these specialties submit lists of graduates to territorial recruitment and social support centers two months before the end of their studies. These lists are the basis for issuing a temporary certificate of conscription without determining the degree of suitability for military service.
District (city) CCCs issue temporary military IDs to graduates for a period of 30 days. Within seven days of receiving this document, women must contact the territorial center at the place of registration to register for military registration. Final registration occurs after a medical examination and entry of data into the register of those liable for military service, followed by the issuance of the corresponding military registration document.
Women who are not working must independently appear at the CCC for registration.
Women who have a specialty and/or profession related to the relevant military registration specialty specified in the list approved by the Ministry of Defense, except for those who have received education in a medical or pharmaceutical specialty, and are suitable for military service due to their health and age, are taken into military registration as conscripts at their request on a general basis.
In accordance with Order No. 35, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine must ensure, in particular:
- taking women into military registration for military service in accordance with the List of specialties and/or professions related to the relevant military registration specialties, after obtaining which women are taken into military registration for military service, from October 1, 2022;
- annually by March 1, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine shall take measures to make (if necessary) changes to the List of specialties and/or professions related to the relevant military registration specialties, after obtaining which women are taken into military registration as conscripts, taking into account the priority needs for mobilization resources and the List of specialties and/or professions related to the relevant military registration specialties.
List of specialties for registration of women liable for military service
The list of specialties, after obtaining which women can be registered for military service, includes:
- chemistry, chemical technology and engineering, biology;
- telecommunications and radio engineering;
- software engineering, computer science, information systems and technology, computer engineering, systems analysis, cybersecurity, micro- and nanosystems engineering, automation and computer-integrated technologies;
- metrology and information and measuring technology;
- Earth sciences, geography, physics and astronomy;
- food technologies, technology of production and processing of livestock products;
- military support, weapons and military equipment, light industry technologies;
- physical therapy, occupational therapy, medical and psychological rehabilitation, public health, physical rehabilitation, industrial pharmacy, sanitation and expertise;
- dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, medical diagnostics and treatment technologies;
- biomedical engineering, biotechnology and bioengineering;
- veterinary medicine, veterinary hygiene;
- accounting and taxation, marketing, management, entrepreneurship, economics, finance, banking and insurance;
- publishing and printing;
- psychology, social work, social security.