Which Diseases Prevent Mobilisation: A Complete List of Grounds for Unfitness for Military Service

In Ukraine, decisions regarding unfitness for military service are made by the Military Medical Commission (MMC). The MMC evaluates not only the diagnosis but also the extent of functional impairment, the stage of the disease, and all relevant medical documentation. Ukrainian legislation specifies a list of conditions that may lead to an individual being declared unfit for service and removed from military registration.

During martial law and general mobilisation, Ukrainian citizens aged 18 to 60 who are liable for military service are subject to conscription. Their fitness for service is determined by the MMC following a medical examination.

The list of diseases that may result in an individual being declared unfit for military service and excluded from military registration is outlined in Order of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine No. 262, dated 27 April 2024. This order amended the Regulations on Military Medical Expertise in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Infectious Diseases

Individuals with the following conditions may be deemed completely unfit:

• Incurable or difficult-to-treat infectious and viral diseases and their sequelae.

• Active pulmonary tuberculosis with mycobacterial shedding or lung tissue decay.

• Active, progressive extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

• Severe forms of chronic viral hepatitis that are difficult to treat and significantly impair organ function.

• Progressive HIV infection with immune decompensation.

Neoplasms

Grounds for unfitness may include:

• Malignant neoplasms with distant metastases and impossibility of radical treatment.

• Malignant tumours of the haematopoietic and lymphatic systems with a progressive course.

• Benign tumours causing significant impairment of bodily functions.

Blood Diseases

Grounds for exclusion from military registration include rapidly progressing or decompensated blood diseases, such as:

• All types of anaemia.

• Blood clotting disorders.

• Purpura.

•  Haemorrhagic conditions.

•  Agranulocytosis.

• Spleen diseases.

• Immunodeficiency states and sarcoidosis.

Endocrine System Diseases

Individuals with significant functional impairments may be deemed unfit in cases of:

•  Thyroid diseases.

• Diabetes mellitus and other glucose regulation disorders.

• Pathologies of other endocrine glands.

• Emaciation.

•  Obesity.

•  Functional hyperbilirubinaemia.

•  Lipomatosis.

Mental Disorders

Grounds for unfitness include severe or moderately expressed persistent mental disorders, such as:

•  Dementia.

• Organic mental disorders.

• Psychoactive substance dependence with severe mental manifestations. 

• Schizophrenia and other endogenous psychoses.

• Severe depressive, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and adjustment disorders.

• Severe personality disorders.

• Profound and severe intellectual disability.

Nervous System Diseases

The list includes:

• Inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system.

•  Progressive central nervous system (CNS) diseases.

• Epilepsy with frequent seizures or pronounced mental disorders.

• Severe peripheral nervous system diseases.

Eye Diseases

Unfitness may be established in cases of:

• Severe lesions of both eyes.

• Progressive eye diseases.

• Bilateral retinal detachment.

• Severe glaucoma.

• Persistent paralysis of eye muscles.

• Myopia or hyperopia exceeding 12 dioptres.

• Blindness in one or both eyes, or absence of eyeballs.

Hearing Organ Diseases

Grounds include:

• Complete bilateral deafness.

•  Deaf-mutism.

• Severe bilateral hearing loss.

• Progressive hearing impairment.

Cardiovascular System Diseases

These include:

• Heart failure stages IIb–III.

• Stage III hypertensive disease.

• Severe cerebrovascular diseases. 

• Severe arterial diseases.

• Severe peripheral vascular diseases.

• Severe diseases of veins and the lymphatic system.

Respiratory System Diseases

Grounds may be:

• Stenoses, paresis, and paralysis of the larynx.

• Severe spastic dysphonia.

• Chronic lung diseases with significant respiratory impairment.

• Interstitial lung diseases.

• Chronic purulent lung diseases.

• Severe persistent bronchial asthma.

Digestive System Diseases

The list includes:

• Severe maxillofacial anomalies.

• Diseases of the oesophagus, stomach, and duodenum with significant impairments.

• Crohn’s disease.

•  Ulcerative colitis.

• Severe intestinal diseases.

• Peptic ulcer disease.

• Severe liver diseases.

• Diseases of the gallbladder and pancreas.

• All types of hernias with significant functional impairments.

Skin Diseases

Grounds may be:

• Widespread atopic dermatitis.

•  Pemphigus.

•  Herpetiform dermatitis.

• Continuously relapsing widespread psoriasis.

• Psoriatic erythroderma.

Musculoskeletal System Diseases

These include:

•  Severe arthropathies.

• Rheumatoid arthritis.

• Systemic lupus erythematosus.

•  Ankylosing spondylitis.

•  Severe arthroses.

•  Osteoporosis.

•  Osteomyelitis.

• Limb amputations.

• Severe spinal diseases.

Genitourinary System Diseases

Grounds are:

• Stage IV–V renal failure.

• Severe diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract.

• Severe diseases of male reproductive organs.

• Severe inflammatory and non-inflammatory diseases of female reproductive organs.

Congenital Developmental Defects

Exclusion from military registration is possible with significant functional impairments related to:

• Nervous system defects.

• Defects of the organs of vision, hearing, face, and neck.

• Cardiovascular system defects.

•  Respiratory organ defects.

•  Digestive organ defects.

• Coeliac disease.

• Genital organ defects.

• Urinary system defects.

• Musculoskeletal system defects.

• Chromosomal abnormalities.

Consequences of Injuries and External Factors

Grounds may be significant functional impairments resulting from:

• Injuries, fractures, contusions, polytrauma.

• Burns and frostbite.

•  Barotrauma.

• Electric shock injuries.

• Exposure to ionising radiation.

• Severe poisoning.

Other Pathological Manifestations

These include:

• Insufficient physical development (height less than 150 cm or body weight less than 45 kg).

• Constitutional tall stature.

• Unbalanced nutrition.

• Severe autonomic nervous system disorders.

• Angiotrophoneurosis of limbs stages III–IV.

Important Information

The mere presence of a diagnosis does not automatically lead to an individual being declared unfit for military service.

Specifically:

• Hypertensive disease is assessed based on its stage and target organ damage.

• In diabetes mellitus, existing complications are taken into account.

• A spinal hernia is not always a reason for exemption from military service.

• Hepatitis, bronchial asthma, or psoriasis are assessed according to the severity of their course.

When making a decision, the Military Medical Commission considers the final diagnosis, disease stage, degree of functional impairment, examination results, medical documentation, and the conclusions of specialist doctors.

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