In Ukraine, the number of reserved employees has increased despite criticality review
Currently, about 1.4 million people are reserved from mobilization in Ukraine. The number of employees with reservations has resumed growth even after the summer review of the status of critical enterprises.
This was stated by Minister of Economy Oleksandr Kravchenko in an interview with Forbes Ukraine.
According to him, during the criticality review conducted in the summer, about 15% of enterprises could not confirm their status. Despite this, after a temporary decrease, the number of reserved employees quickly returned to growth and now stands at about 1.4 million people.
The Ministry of Economy also notes that during the waves of cancellation of reservations, only a very small share of employees was actually mobilized.
The current indicator is noticeably higher than at the beginning of last year. In January 2025, then Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal spoke about 900-950 thousand reserved persons liable for military service. Thus, in about a year and a half, their number has increased by almost half a million.
At the beginning of 2026, the number of reserved employees was already about 1.3 million. This estimate was given in January by then Minister of Economy Oleksiy Sobolev. Since then, the indicator has increased by about another 100 thousand people.
The reservation rules were reviewed this year
In the summer, the government conducted a new review of critical enterprises. Companies that had a criticality decision issued before June 2, 2026, had to re-confirm compliance with the updated requirements.
As explained by "Diia", enterprises that did not pass the re-confirmation could reserve employees only until September 1. To extend the reservation for a longer period, it was necessary to obtain an updated criticality decision.
Companies that confirmed their status under the simplified procedure or re-submitted a full package of documents do not additionally need to re-register criticality.
Currently, reservation of employees is carried out through the "Diia" portal. Enterprises included in the Unified List and recognized as critical for ensuring the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, other military formations, the functioning of the economy, or the life of the population can use the service.
Thus, despite the strengthening of requirements for critical enterprises and periodic waves of reservation review, the total number of employees with deferment from mobilization continues to gradually increase.
