More than four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, officials say Kyiv has one challenge that outpaces all others — manpower.
Although independent analysts say that Russia has lost more soldiers than the Ukrainian side since the start of the war, casualties — including those killed and wounded — have been significant. And complaints from serving soldiers about poor pay, a “Soviet-style” top-down command structure and sporadic front line rotation have damaged morale and hindered recruitment.
Mykhailo Fedorov, who took over as defense minister in January 2026, said early on in his tenure that roughly 200,000 soldiers were absent without official leave, while around 2 million Ukrainians were wanted for avoiding military service.
The conditions have been exacerbated by Russian disinformation campaigns that target these real vulnerabilities, hurting recruitment further and creating fissures in society between those who are fighting and those who are staying home.
“Ukraine does face a manpower problem, worsened by Russian propaganda,” Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandra Ustinova told Independence Avenue Media. “They spread fear that if you go to war, you’ll die on your first mission.”
It was with this as a backdrop that on May 1, 2026 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a sweeping package of army reforms meant to improve morale and encourage new recruits.
Danger pay and rotations
At the center of the reforms is pay for soldiers.
Zelenskyy has said Ukraine will move toward a system that ties compensation more directly to combat roles, front line exposure and effectiveness. Non-combat positions will receive a minimum monthly salary of 30,000 Ukrainian hryvnias, the equivalent of about $680, up from about $580, while those engaged in fighting will earn “several times higher.”
That is reflected most clearly in the proposed contracts for front line troops, who officials say are critical to Ukraine’s ability to hold the line. Kyrylo Budanov, who Zelenskyy appointed to head his administration in January, wrote of infantry soldiers that “it is on them that the main burden of this war falls. You can win in the air. You can dominate in technologies. But without control of the ground, it doesn’t matter.”
Now, these front line soldiers are expected to receive between $5,700 and $9,000 a month, depending on combat performance — a significant increase intended to stabilize infantry units, which also face the highest casualty rates.
Beyond pay, the reforms, which will go into effect in June 2026, will attempt to address another growing tension: Ukraine has relied heavily on long-term mobilization, but as the war drags on, pressure has mounted to create more predictable rotation cycles and reduce strain on personnel.
Reports of Ukrainian soldiers spending a year or more in front line positions are no longer unusual, partly because troop shortages and the drone threat from above are making rotations more difficult. CNN reported in April that one infantry officer spent 343 days on the front line without leaving, while combat medic Serhii Tyschenko made headlines after he spent 472 days in a bunker on the front.
The Ukrainian government says the reforms will address this by expanding the use of contract service, introducing clearer terms of service and allowing for phased demobilization of soldiers who have been mobilized since the early stages of the war. Specific details about how this will work have not yet been shared publicly.
Beyond the current reforms, a quest for trust
Some elite brigades aren’t waiting for the reforms and are actively marketing themselves to recruits, emphasizing leadership quality, specialization and unit culture in an effort to attract motivated volunteers.
Serhii Kuzan, chairman of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center, told Independence Avenue Media that brigades with trusted commanders, strong communication, and clearer service conditions can often recruit more effectively than units known for rigid top-down approaches.
Momentum in the war appears to be shifting in Ukraine’s favor this year, with some estimates showing Russia recently losing ground. And experts who spoke to Independence Avenue Media said that the reforms are a good start, showing that a cabinet reshuffle following the departure of controversial presidential administration head Andrii Yermak may be paying dividends. But they said for Ukraine to maintain the upper hand, its army needs to reform even further.
MORE: At the Front, Ukraine Is Holding the Line — and Finding Small Openings
Mark Savchuk, advocacy manager at the Ukrainian NGO PR Army, said in an interview that Fedorov’s Defense Ministry is working on a broader set of reforms, including procurement changes, anti-corruption measures and efforts to improve mobilization. But he argued that Ukraine’s main problem outside of recruitment is more frequent rotation of troops and better front line management.
“What we absolutely can do is rotate them faster and decrease our losses due to qualified management of people at the front line,” Savchuk said.
Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, a former commander of U.S. Army Europe, said that Ukraine’s reforms must focus on three priorities: strengthening recruitment and training systems, becoming a “learning organization” that consistently shares battlefield lessons across brigades, and reducing disparities between elite units and formations still shaped by outdated command cultures.
“Families must trust that their sons and daughters will be properly trained, equipped, and led,” said Hodges.
For Ukraine, that means not simply mobilizing enough people to hold the line, but building an army capable of sustaining a long war without exhausting the society behind it.
MORE: Hodges: The Momentum Has Shifted in Ukraine’s Favor — and Russia Knows It
