President signs law on conscription deferral for defence industry employees

President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a law introducing a short-term conscription deferral for new employees of enterprises recognised as critical to the defence industry. The law will come into effect in one month.

The purpose of the new provision is to ensure the continuity of production processes in the defence sector, address staff shortages, and streamline the military registration of employees. The mechanism applies only to defence industry enterprises officially recognised by the Cabinet of Ministers as critical.

According to the law, a deferral from conscription of up to 45 days may be granted to employees of such enterprises even if their military registration documents are missing, invalid, or contain unverified data. It does not apply in cases involving violations of Articles 336 or 337 of the Criminal Code and may be granted only once per year for each person.

Receiving a deferral does not exempt an employee from the obligation to register for military service. Employers have the right to cancel the deferral and terminate the employment contract if the employee fails to meet registration requirements within the established timeframe.

The probation period for new employees cannot exceed 45 days for all categories of workers.

As noted by the Ukrainian council of defence industry, defence enterprises are advised to verify their status as “critical”, approve internal procedures for 45-day booking, prepare the necessary documentation — including applications to territorial recruitment centres, orders, employment confirmations, and monitoring of military registration — and designate a responsible officer for communication with the recruitment centres and record-keeping.