The government is revising the rules for reserving troops from mobilization due to a shortage of troops.

Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky stated this in an interview with BBC Ukraine.

He countered that the criteria review was suspended due to public outcry or political scandals. According to him, the main reason for the changes is the General Staff’s need to replenish the troops, particularly to rotate soldiers serving long periods at the front and compensate for combat losses.

Koretsky also stated that the number of citizens with deferments or reservations significantly exceeds the number of current employees. According to him, over the past six to eight months, the number of deferments has been growing by tens of thousands monthly.

“If this trend continues, soon absolutely everyone will be booked,” the Prime Minister warned.

The government intends to maintain reservations for businesses that genuinely support the needs of the front and the country’s vital activities. At the same time, companies that may formally qualify as critical will be inspected for reservations for their workers. This applies specifically to businesses that produce a small number of drones but reserve the work of hundreds of people.

Koretsky also commented on the so-called economic reservation system. He emphasized that high salaries and the absence of tax arrears do not in themselves indicate the critical importance of an enterprise to the state. In his opinion, a purely monetary approach would be unfair to the soldiers on the front lines.

The Prime Minister also assured that the government does not plan to reduce the percentage of reservations for energy sector workers ahead of the heating season.

“We don’t have such a goal. We recognize and understand what this could lead to,” he said.

According to Koretsky, the government plans to finalize and approve the updated booking rules within a week.