Ukraine is reforming its military regulations amid war

Military regulations may sound technical. In practice, they shape the daily lives of those serving in the armed forces: responsibility, leadership, disciplinary procedures, rights, and the possibility of having one’s case heard.

For Ukraine, the issue is urgent. In a protracted war, defence capability is not determined by military capacity alone. It also depends on whether people perceive the institutions as fair, understandable and trustworthy. Ukraine currently has one of Europe’s largest armed forces, and a significant share of the country’s public expenditure is directed towards defence. The size and importance of the defence sector make it central to Ukraine’s long-term social development, Euro-Atlantic integration and continued democratic trajectory.

The majority of those serving in Ukraine’s armed forces today lived civilian lives before Russia’s full-scale invasion. They were entrepreneurs, parents, students, employees and employers. Now they carry the defence of their country. One day, many of them will return to civilian life.

– Defence is not only about weapons and artillery. It is also about the people in the system, says Carin Göransson Cederstrand, Country Programme Manager for Ukraine at FBA.

Rules that shape people’s everyday lives

During FBA Director-General Per Olsson Fridh’s visit to Kyiv, FBA and the Ukrainian organisation Frontline Reforms co-organised the first in a series of discussions on democratic civilian control and reform of the regulatory framework for Ukraine’s armed forces.

Participants included representatives of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, parliament, the General Staff, the Military Ombudsman’s Office, civil society and international partners.

The regulatory framework needs to function within a defence force that has grown rapidly in a short period of time, and where people with civilian backgrounds have become part of the defence sector. This concerns how responsibility is distributed, how leadership is exercised, how complaints are handled, and how rights are protected even during wartime.

Olha Reshetylova, Ukraine’s Military Ombudsman, describes the work as a necessary part of strengthening democratic civilian control over the defence sector.

– We must move forward and rethink the philosophy and approaches to human capital management, starting with the very foundations reflected in the military regulations. This is a difficult, unpopular, but necessary process, she says.

According to Reshetylova, the reform needs to be driven through dialogue with the military and with a deep understanding of the reality within the armed forces.

– If we focus strictly on operational capabilities and forget the human dimensions, the rights of service members, and the legitimacy of defence institutions, trust in those institutions will eventually start to crack, says Carin Göransson Cederstrand.

A clearer social contract

Ukraine needs to make swift decisions, adapt to new threats and hold the frontline. At the same time, its institutions need to change in order to keep pace with reality and align with EU and NATO standards.

In discussions with Ukrainian stakeholders, the need for a clearer social contract between the state and those serving was a recurring theme. This concerns leadership, working conditions, rotation, clearer terms of service and the possibility of placing people where they can contribute most effectively.

For Ukraine, this is part of the ability to mobilise, retain and make use of people’s capacities in a protracted war.

– I am very impressed by how Ukraine, under the enormous pressure the country is facing at the moment, is able to undertake reforms with such determination and at such speed. I think there is something here for everyone to learn from, says Per Olsson Fridh.

Defence reform is therefore not a side track to the war. It is a way of strengthening Ukraine’s resilience – for soldiers, for veterans, for the institutions and for society as a whole.

Europe is also here to learn

The relationship between Ukraine and its international partners has changed. Support no longer flows in one direction only.

Yulia Marushevska, co-founder of Frontline Reforms, describes the reform of Ukraine’s military regulations as a strategic project for both Ukrainian and European defence.

– We see Ukrainian defence as part of Europe’s future defence. We need to speak one language, and we need to start learning this language, she says.

– Ukraine has learnt, at a very high cost, what modern defence should look like We are now in a position where our partners can also learn from us. 

FBA supports reforms at the intersection of security and development

FBA supports reform processes led by Ukraine itself, at the intersection of security, democratic governance and institutional development. This is where military support and civilian development cooperation meet – although they do not always overlap.

Several issues crucial to Ukraine’s long-term resilience are found in this space: leadership, rights, civilian control and democratic governance, procurement, trust, and the relationship between the armed forces and society.

– The added value of the Folke Bernadotte Academy is that we operate in the space between security and development, and that we have extensive experience of working on security sector reform in countries affected by conflict or war, says Per Olsson Fridh.

FBA is collaborating with Frontline Reforms on the development of new military regulations and has a memorandum of understanding with the Reform Support Office at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence. FBA also works with Ukraine’s Ministry of Veterans Affairs, including on analysis, monitoring of regional veterans’ policy, donor coordination and initiatives that strengthen veterans’ opportunities to return to civilian life.

A defence sector people can trust – and return from

The question of trust does not end at the frontline. The people serving today are also the veterans, workers, entrepreneurs, parents, local leaders and citizens of the future. How they interact with the state during their service will affect how they return to society.

For Ukraine’s Minister of Veterans Affairs, Natalia Kalmykova, the core of veterans’ policy is economic independence. This means employment, entrepreneurship and enabling veterans to apply their experience in civilian contexts.

 – We see veterans’ policy as an investment, she says.

This is why defence reform, veterans’ reintegration and social cohesion are interlinked. A defence force that people can trust must not only be able to protect the country. It must also be an institution that people can leave with dignity, rights and a place to return to.

– The work of veterans’ reintegration does not start after the war. It begins on the first day of war. Planning for the day after must be in place right now, says Per Olsson Fridh.

This was one of the insights FBA brought back from Kyiv: long-term security is not built solely on military capability. It is also built on rules that people understand, institutions they trust and a society that can welcome those returning from war.

Read more about FBA’s work in Ukraine.