‘Ukraine prioritizes mobilization of the unemployed and informally employed’ – Shmygala
Source: Denys Shmyhal
In his speech at the Kyiv International Economic Forum, Ukraine’s prime minister Denys Shmyhal revealed that the recruitment offices are not sending mobilization notices “prrimarily to individuals who are unemployed or working without formal contracts”. The strategy is part of the government’s “fight or work” policy.
According to Shmyhal, the moblilization campaign leaves out those who contribute the country’s economy by paying taxes. “As of today, 98% of the mobilization orders, generated through the ‘Oberih’ registry system, are being sent to individuals who are neither paying taxes nor registered with any official employment,” Shmyhal said.
The selective approach reflects President Volodymyr Zelensky’s earlier message in his New Year’s address for 2024, where he stressed that no one in Ukraine could remain indifferent to the war, adding the country will use the “fight or work” policy, with those who are not officially employed will be first in line for military call-up
This policy has sparked much debate, but the Ukrainian government is firm on its stance: in a time of war, everyone must contribute.
In my previous column, I wrote about social innovations in Ukraine. Those innovations are part of civic resilience and the democratization of security, which Europe is paying close attention to right now. The EU is trying to work out how to spread responsibility for its own security across society as a whole, rather than leaving it to institutions alone. It is looking for concrete ways to bring ordinary people into the work of defense and resistance.
Petro Poroshenko’s lawyers have appealed to the High Anti-Corruption Court demanding that NABU be obligated to register proceedings regarding the fact of exerting influence on the court and to recognize Petro Poroshenko as a victim in the case of the Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra, due to her pressure on Supreme Court judges who were considering a lawsuit to overturn sanctions.
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In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.