Mobilization in Ukraine in 2025 is underway, and the question of fitness or unfitness for service is of concern to many men. Ukrainian legislation provides a clear list of diseases and conditions that give the right to be considered unfit or temporarily unfit for military service.
Who is not subject to mobilization?
The main document for military medical commissions is the order of the Ministry of Defense No. 402. It contains 87 articles, which specify which diseases and physical conditions are grounds for unfitness. These can be severe chronic diseases of the heart, lungs, nervous system, mental disorders, oncological diseases or serious defects of the musculoskeletal system.
The decision is always made by the Military Medical Commission (VLK), which determines the status of the man based on medical documents:
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suitable;
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limitedly suitable (for rear or auxiliary units);
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temporarily unfit (for example, after surgery or injury);
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completely unusable.
Important: the presence of a disability group in itself is not an automatic exemption from mobilization. The VLK assesses not the group, but the specific state of health. Thus, sometimes a man with the second group can be sent to the rear units, and with the third - recognized as unfit. People with the first disability group are mostly not taken to the army.
Disability may be grounds for a postponement, but the final decision is still made by the VLK.
How to apply for a deferment
To get a deferral based on health, you need to pass a medical examination. If a man has recently undergone surgery or has an acute illness, he may be given a deferral of several months with a mandatory re-examination.
Lawyers advise keeping all medical documents and certificates. If the decision of the VLK does not match the real state of health, it can be appealed within a month.
Each case is individual. It all depends on the specific diagnosis, the degree of damage to the body, and the doctors' conclusions. Therefore, even in the presence of disability or serious health problems, the final word remains with the VLK.
