The Ukrainian youth military recruitment initiative, launched in February, is Kiev’s latest effort to address a growing manpower shortage in Ukraine’s army, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Although only around 500 young people have enrolled so far, officials hope the offer of high pay, free university tuition, and other benefits will gradually appeal to 18- to 24-year-olds, who have largely been spared front-line duty.

The average monthly salary in the program is $3,000, six times the national average. Promotional campaigns have flooded TikTok and Ukrainian streets with Gen Z-targeted ads, including one video that asks, "How many McDonald’s cheeseburgers does 1 million hryvnia buy?" 

According to the WSJ, Ukraine has nearly a million active fighters, with 30,000 reportedly added each month. But amid a deepening draft policy crisis, many men aged 18 to 60, who are barred from leaving the country, have gone into hiding or paid bribes to escape mobilization.

Older servicemen have voiced discontent with the preferential treatment of Contract 18-24 recruits. One major, Yevheniy Hromadsky, who received the Hero of Ukraine medal, noted that he earned just 12,000 hryvnia (approximately equivalent to USD 290) a month in 2022 during the battle in Kharkiv, in which he lost his father.

"The army needs logisticians. We need engineers. We need people with a higher education," said Hromadsky, advocating for mandatory conscription between 18 and 20, followed by state-sponsored university education.

Young Ukrainians are divided on the war

Many of today’s youth grew up during a lull in fighting between 2018 and 2021 and remain skeptical about risking their lives in a conflict that has continued for over a decade, according to the WSJ report. 

That said, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has resisted Western pressure to lower the draft age further, saying, "It’s very important for me to safeguard the lives of our people, our youth," he told a French newspaper in December.

Yet with no ceasefire deal in sight despite ongoing diplomacy, most notably involving former US President Donald Trump, some young Ukrainians say they see only two paths: enlist now, or risk being mobilized later.

The report mentioned some, like 16-year-old Timur Ushak from Kamianske, who are preparing to emigrate. Planning to study in Slovakia, he said, “If I leave, I know it’s probably for good. I don’t believe the war will end.” Others, like 19-year-old Oleksandr Bahach, see enlistment as a necessity.

"I would collect all the men in the country and send them to the front," he said, adding, "The bitter truth is that we’re losing this war."

Now preparing to join the 25th Airborne Brigade, Bahach and Horbenko, another fresh Contract 18-24 recruit, are undergoing training, learning to use tactical equipment, and studying battlefield footage. While Bahach speaks with urgency, Horbenko is trying to manage his emotions.

"I’m preparing for the worst," he said, "so that when it happens, I can stay calm and handle it."

What sets Horbenko apart from the thousands of seasoned soldiers he’ll soon join is that, upon enlisting, he secured an interest-free mortgage, a rare opportunity to travel abroad, and the first payment of a sign-on bonus totaling 1 million Ukrainian hryvnia, around $24,000, an amount that surpasses the annual salary of many veteran troops.

As Ukraine’s military seeks to rebuild its ranks, the Contract 18-24 program emerges as a contentious yet crucial initiative, offering incentives while placing the weight of war on a new generation, according to the WSJ.