Ukraine Launches New Recruitment Program for Young Volunteers with Financial Incentives

The 'Contract 18-24' initiative offers lucrative benefits to attract 18-24-year-olds to military service, raising concerns among existing soldiers over unequal treatment.

• Ukraine's Defense Ministry has introduced a one-year volunteer recruitment program targeting men aged 18 to 24, offering significant financial and social benefits.
• Volunteers are promised up to 1 million hryvnias ($24,000) in signing bonuses, a monthly salary of 120,000 hryvnias ($2,900), and additional rewards for combat missions.
• Other perks include 0% mortgages, state-funded higher education, free medical care, and the ability to travel abroad after completing service.
• The program aims to address manpower shortages in Ukraine's military as it faces ongoing challenges in its war with Russia, including battlefield losses and desertions.
• Existing soldiers, many of whom lack demobilization timelines and receive lower pay, have criticized the initiative as unfair and demotivating.

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