The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has announced strict conditions for the upcoming personnel reform: the officer corps will not be released from service until the end of 2026. Deputy Minister of Defense Mykhailo Baniq emphasized that officers are the foundation of the army and their mass departure is unacceptable.
Officers are the backbone of the army
At a meeting with journalists, Mykhailo Baniq stated that the role of officers in the current structure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is critically important. According to him, the army cannot afford to send them home quickly, as the entire system of management and execution of combat tasks relies on them.
"Officers are the most important thing in the army. And the people who became officers, we certainly cannot afford to send them all home quickly. Much depends on them and they are our support," the official emphasized.
Baniq also noted that the service of an officer differs from that of the enlisted ranks. If the infantry is on the front line, officers bear a different, higher level of responsibility for decision-making and unit management.
Personal example and contract service
Demonstrating a personal example, the Deputy Minister of Defense spoke about his plans. Baniq announced that until the official demobilization is announced, he will personally sign a contract for a term of 24 months. According to him, only after two years will he be able to count on a deferment or discharge to the reserves.
"Officer service is about a different level of responsibility, it is about a different level of task execution," he explained, emphasizing the specifics of the duties of commanders.
Who will be sent home already this year
Despite the moratorium on the demobilization of officers, the Ministry of Defense has announced the start of rotation for the enlisted ranks. From the end of the current year, they will begin to discharge a part of the servicemen who have been in the ranks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion and have spent a significant amount of time on combat positions.
This measure is part of a large-scale reform affecting issues of payments, return from temporarily occupied territories, and discharge conditions. However, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has repeatedly warned that full demobilization is impossible under current conditions and can only be carried out some time after the end of the war.