Pryncyp

Foreign nationals may serve only in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service, and the National Guard.

The Defense Forces of Ukraine are a collection of military formations of various types mobilized by Ukraine to repel the armed aggression of the Russian Federation. 

The Armed Forces of Ukraine include the Ground Forces, Air Force, and Naval Forces, as well as certain specialized branches (for example, Air Assault Forces, Special Operations Forces, Unmanned Systems Forces, Territorial Defense Forces)

The National Guard of Ukraine (NGU) is a military formation under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine

Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense – a special intelligence agency

Foreign Intelligence Service – a special intelligence agency

State Border Guard Service – responsible for protecting the state border

State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection  

Security Service of Ukraine (including the Special Operations Center Alpha that participates in combat operations)

National Police of Ukraine (Joint Assault Brigade Liut participates in combat operations)

A military unit is the primary organizational entity in the military, with its legal authority. At the tactical level, this is usually a brigade or battalion. In the army, the typical command hierarchy at the tactical level is as follows:

Squad leader (cannon, mortar, tank)

↓

Platoon commander

↓

Company/battery commander

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Battalion/division commander (in some battalions, this is also the military unit commander)

↓

Brigade commander (military unit commander)

Within a military unit, there are various structural subdivisions you can contact if needed:

Each military unit has an personal department responsible for maintaining personnel records. This subdivision prepares orders, leave documents, travel authorizations, and certificates (for example, the Service Certificate (Form/Formа 5) and the Combat Participation Certificate (Form/Formа 6) can be obtained there).

If your health worsens, you have to inform your subunit's medic thereof or contact the military unit's medical office. If treatment outside the military unit is needed, the physician or head of the medical office/service issues a referral (paper or electronic) for inpatient care outside the military unit. In critical cases, this can also be done by a medical instructor or feldsher.

Each military unit has a financial service responsible for salary calculation and payment. For payment-related issues, we recommend contacting your immediate commander, the HR group, or the finance office directly (practice may vary depending on the subunit), as the finance service is responsible for preparing the order for the payment of monetary remuneration. These orders are based on the subunit commander's report, unit orders, and combat orders and instructions (including additional reimbursement orders).

Units have a Personnel Psychological Support Group (PPP), which you can reach out to if you feel your mental or emotional condition worsening or if you need support.

Units may also have support services (sometimes referred to as "patronatky" or Civil-Military Cooperation (TsVS)). Most often, service members communicate with these support services after injuries for help with documents and communication with the military unit. They also assist service members after their return from captivity or might help with discharge matters, etc.  

It is recommended to check whether your military unit has a support service and share its contact information with your relatives.

In most subunits of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, direct verbal communication with commanders is encouraged, usually with the help of interpreters for foreign service members. However, if you wish to make an official request, application, or proposal to your commander, you may submit a written document called a 'report'. 

A report is an official written document used to address the command regarding various matters during military service. Through reports, soldiers can request a leave, any required documents, or report on completed tasks or incidents. Please note that electronic submission of reports is currently not available for foreign nationals.

Since all reports must be written in Ukrainian, clerks usually prepare papers for foreigners. Units may also have translators who assist with daily communication and document preparation. They assist both with daily communication and with document processing.

In the Armed Forces of Ukraine, all submitted reports are reviewed by the commanders:

In the National Guard of Ukraine, all submitted reports are reviewed by the immediate commanders

Reports not requiring additional review are processed immediately, but no later than 15 days after receipt; the remainder are processed within one month of receipt. If the issues cannot be resolved within a month, the commander or the deputy sets a deadline and informs you of it. The total period cannot exceed 45 days.

Foreign service members may be transferred within their subunit or military unit on the same grounds as Ukrainian citizens.

To be transferred to another subunit within the same military unit, you must:

If the commander of the military unit dismisses the transfer, you may appeal this decision to higher command:

Please note that such an appeal is not confidential.

Main grounds:

1. Better use of your specialty or experience – by the decision of the commander. In this case, your consent is not required. At your own initiative, upon personal request.

2. For health reasons – only based on the conclusion of a military medical commission (see the section on medical care).

3. For family reasons – at your personal request. Family reasons may include: Caring for a child with a disability, or a child suffering from severe perinatal nervous system damage, serious congenital defects, rare orphan diseases, cancer or oncohematological diseases, cerebral palsy, severe mental disorders, or type 1 diabetes; the need to care for a family member with a group 1 or group 2 disability. In practice, this procedure may take a significant amount of time. 

To do this, you must submit a report requesting transfer, which must be reviewed by the commander of the military unit. A letter of recommendation (endorsement) must be attached to the report. You must obtain it in advance from the military unit that agrees to accept you. 

A letter of recommendation (endorsement) is a document from the commander of the military unit to which you wish to be transferred. It confirms:

In some cases, another method is used: Voluntary termination of service (contract termination) after at least 6 months of continuous service, followed by re-enlistment in a new military unit.

Service members may be subject to disciplinary, administrative, or criminal liability for violations of the law of Ukraine.

A service member may be subject to several types of liability simultaneously. Each of these types of liability may also require the service member to compensate for financial and physical damage caused.

Disciplinary liability of service members is defined by the Law of Ukraine On the Disciplinary Statute of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to this law, a military unit commander may impose a disciplinary penalty if a service member:

The most common disciplinary penalties include:

Some disciplinary penalties may affect financial compensation. The more such penalties you receive, the more money is deducted from your salary. 

It is the commander of the military unit who is authorized to impose disciplinary penalties. However, if the person who committed the violation is unknown, or the circumstances and damage caused are unclear, the commander may order an official review or internal investigation at their own discretion.

Service members are also responsible for the property issued to them or assigned to them. An exception applies if the property was destroyed as a result of enemy fire and the service member objectively had no opportunity to save it. In the event of property loss, an investigation into the circumstances of the loss may also be initiated.

During an official review, the military unit commander may determine that the violation is not only a disciplinary offense but also an administrative offense. In that case, the commander must prepare an administrative offense report and forward it to court.

Service members may be held administratively liable both for military administrative offenses and for general civilian offenses under the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses.

Military administrative offenses are defined in Chapter 13-B of the Code, including, for example:

If a service member is found guilty of an administrative offense, they will be held liable. For military administrative offenses, the following penalties may apply:

In addition, the service member will not receive the additional monthly payment for participation in combat operations of UAH 30,000 or 100,000 and a bonus for the month in which the offense was committed. Additional payments and bonuses are not paid if the service member’s actions do not constitute an administrative offence, but are quite serious, for example a service member refused to carry out combat orders, went AWOL, consumed alcohol (narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances), or intentionally inflicted bodily harm or otherwise harmed their own health.

Service members may be held criminally liable for military criminal offenses (e.g., desertion), as well as for general criminal offenses (e.g., theft) under the Ukrainian law.

The authority responsible for investigating the offense depends on the specific crime. For example, military criminal offenses are investigated by the State Bureau of Investigation. 

If the offense is not related to military service, jurisdiction may belong to another authority. For example, theft or disorderly conduct will be investigated by the National Police of Ukraine. In cases involving corruption offenses, if the foreign national serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the investigation will be conducted by the National Police of Ukraine; if they serve in the National Guard of Ukraine, the investigation will be conducted by the State Bureau of Investigation. Crimes against the national security of Ukraine will be investigated by the Security Service of Ukraine.

Criminal offenses related to military service are defined in Chapter XIX of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and include, among others: