Number of contract servicemen exceeds plan

Contract military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (APU) is gaining popularity. Virtually in all regions the number of those who wish to serve in the Army is very high. It is especially important in the context of the transition to a professional army. Experts of the Ministry of Defense claim that today contract servicemen have all necessary conditions for successful mastery of military occupation and promotion, the Information-Analytical Bulletin of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine informs.

For example, last year in the Odessa region, 515 people were accepted for military service under the contract, which is nearly 150% of the planned draft. In general, in 2013, the Ukrainian Army in the Odessa region accepted 200 people more than in 2012. In the Kharkiv region, last year 387 volunteers were drafted to the Army, which is 104% of the plan for drafting of professional soldiers.

Also, the number of people willing to serve under the contract in the Donetsk Air Defense regiment in Mariupol grows annually. In 2013, the competition for one position here was 4-5 persons. Currently, the ratio of draft conscripts and contract servicemen in the division is "50/50". However, this figure is growing rapidly in favor of volunteering recruits. The military unit hopes that 100% of staff will be professional soldiers by the end of 2014. And in the Zaporizhzhia region, the Army Recruiting Offices plan to select 250 candidates for contract military service in 2014. In fact, 13 persons have already signed the contract since new year.