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- GovTech
Ukraine’s Diia Portal Automates Military Service Reservation for Critical Staff
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- Reading time:
- 3 min
As russia’s war against Ukraine continues, economic resilience has become as vital as defense itself. For Ukraine’s IT sector — the country’s top service exporter — and other strategically important industries, retaining essential employees is critical to keeping operations running, fulfilling international contracts, and sustaining investor confidence.
Until recently, reserving key employees from military service was a slow, paper-based process. Company managers had to submit documents to multiple government agencies, and approvals often took a month or more. This not only consumed valuable time but also created room for delays, inconsistencies, and uncertainty.
To address these challenges, Ukraine has launched a fully digital reservation service on the Diia portal — making the process transparent, fast, and secure. The system was developed by Ukrainian GovTech company Kitsoft for the Ministry of Digital Transformation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Economy. It was implemented with the support of the Support for Digital Transformation project, funded by USAID and UK Aid, with East Europe Foundation as a partner.
From One Month to One Hour
The new service integrates the Diia portal with Oberih — Ukraine’s Unified State Register of Conscripts, Persons Liable for Military Service, and Reservists. By automating verification and approvals, the average processing time has been reduced from over a month to about one hour.
Automation delivers several benefits:
- No human factor — the system checks all eligibility criteria automatically.
- Real-time visibility — managers can instantly see each employee’s reservation status, eligibility, or reason for ineligibility, as well as expiration dates for existing reservations.
- Fewer administrative burdens — all actions are completed online, and approved reservations are automatically recorded in the Oberih register.
The status can also be checked via the Reserve+ mobile application for conscripts and reservists, ensuring transparency for both employers and employees.
How the Digital Reservation Works
Eligibility list — Central executive authorities compile and approve lists of critical enterprises allowed to reserve staff.
Submission — Company managers from approved enterprises submit lists of employees through their Diia account, signing them with a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES).
Automatic checks — The system verifies that:
- the company meets critical status criteria or supports the Security and Defense Forces;
- the employee is officially employed;
- the employee’s data matches the Oberih register.
Approval and update — If all conditions are met, the reservation is processed automatically, without manual intervention. Within a day, the manager receives a notification, and the Oberih register is updated in real time.
Digital Resilience in Wartime
By digitizing military service reservation, Ukraine ensures that critical sectors — from technology and energy to logistics and healthcare — can operate without disruption, even under wartime conditions. The approach also strengthens trust with international partners by guaranteeing predictable operations and transparent governance.
This model could be adopted by other countries to protect key industries during crises, combining national security needs with the demands of a functioning economy.
The article was prepared by the GovTech Alliance of Ukraine
