In military law the expensive mistake is not getting something wrong but waiting. You have 10 days to challenge a recruitment centre’s decision imposing a fine. 15 days after service, an unpaid fine doubles. A complaint against a medical board’s finding does not suspend it, so a person can be sent to a unit while the challenge is pending. In cases of unauthorised absence, every further day changes the classification.
A military lawyer works with what the law already gives you: a ground for deferral, medical records, a right to reservation or to pay. The task is to get those grounds recognised on paper and to keep the actions of the recruitment centre, the medical board and the chain of command within the law. No lawyer can “release you from mobilisation”.
We run these cases for people liable for service, for serving members and for their families, in Kyiv and across Ukraine, mostly remotely.
Areas of work
Mobilisation and registration
- TCC lawyer: summonses, unlawful detention, access for a lawyer
- Challenging a TCC fine: 17,000–25,500 UAH under Arts. 210 and 210-1 CAO
- Mobilisation lawyer
- Obtaining a deferral from mobilisation: filing through Reserve+ or a service centre
Health
- Medical board lawyer: challenging findings since “fit with limitations” was abolished
- Discharge from military service on health or family grounds
Criminal defence
- Lawyer for absence and desertion: Arts. 407 and 408 CC
Money
- Service members’ pay: recovering unpaid sums, disputes about status
- Recalculation of a military pension
The deadlines most often lost
| Step | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Challenging a recruitment centre’s decision imposing a fine | 10 days from the date it was issued (Art. 289 CAO) |
| Voluntary payment of the fine (after which it doubles) | 15 days from service of the decision (Arts. 307, 308 CAO) |
| Administrative claim about a medical board finding, a refusal of deferral, or the centre’s actions | 6 months (Art. 122 CAP); after a complaint to the superior board — 3 months from service of the decision on it |
| Imposing liability under Arts. 210 and 210-1 CAO | 3 months from discovery, and no later than 1 year from the act (Art. 38 CAO) |
| Appeal in a fine case | 10 days from the pronouncement of the judgment (Art. 286 CAP) |
| Appeal in a medical board or deferral case | 30 days from the drawing up of the full judgment (Art. 295 CAP) |
A missed deadline can be restored where no copy of the decision was served on you, or where there is a documented valid reason: treatment, a work trip, being abroad. Such a case is harder than one filed on time, so at the consultation we begin by checking the dates on the documents against the calendar.
Court fees in 2026
The subsistence minimum for working-age people in 2026 is 3,328 UAH. The rates derived from it:
What we do not do
We do not “sort out” mobilisation, arrange fictitious diagnoses, buy deferrals or organise departures abroad around the law. For whoever offers the money that is Art. 369 of the Criminal Code; a forged certificate falls under Art. 358; evading the call-up during mobilisation under Art. 336. Someone who agrees to an “arrangement” ends up with criminal proceedings on top of the problem they started with.
What we do: find the lawful grounds you already have and turn them into documents. In most deferral enquiries the ground exists but has never been formalised: the relative’s disability certificate has expired, the guardianship is factual rather than legal, the children’s details were never entered in the Oberih register.
When you do not need a lawyer
If you are on the register, your Reserve+ data are up to date, you have no ground for deferral under Art. 23 of the Law “On Mobilisation Preparation and Mobilisation”, and the medical board’s finding was reached in accordance with the procedure, a lawyer adds no rights you do not already have. The consultation then ends with an explanation of what to expect, and no engagement.
You need a military lawyer when:
- a fine has been imposed by a recruitment centre;
- you are being held at a recruitment centre right now;
- the medical board has found you fit despite your medical records;
- you have a lawful ground for deferral that is not being recognised;
- criminal proceedings have been opened for absence, desertion or evasion;
- money due to you is not being paid, or your pension was calculated wrongly;
- you are abroad and your status needs regularising.
A case from our practice
In 2025 a Kyiv resident came to us after a recruitment centre fined him 17,000 UAH under Art. 210-1 CAO for failing to attend on a summons. The decision was issued in his absence and posted to him, and he received it on the ninth day. The same day we filed a challenge with the district administrative court: the file contained no proof that the summons had been served, and the report had been drawn up without him. At the same time the client updated his data through Reserve+. The court set the decision aside and closed the case; the hearing took about three months, and the client’s costs were the court fee of 665.60 UAH and the fees for the challenge and one hearing. (details changed)
Cost of services
The 2026 court fee is payable on top: 665.60 UAH for a challenge to a recruitment centre fine, 1,331.20 UAH for an administrative claim about the medical board, a deferral or the centre’s actions, and 150 % of those rates on appeal. If you win, these sums are recovered from the defendant.
Questions and answers (military lawyer)
How does a military lawyer differ from a TCC lawyer?
A TCC lawyer deals with a narrow set of situations: summonses, fines, being held at the centre. A military lawyer covers the whole cycle from registration to discharge: the medical board, deferral, reservation, pay, pension and criminal defence under Arts. 407 and 408 CC. Where a fine has been imposed and there is also a ground for deferral and a disputed medical finding, one lawyer runs all of it.
Can a medical board finding be challenged once I have been sent to a unit?
Yes. Mobilisation does not remove the right to challenge the finding before the superior board or in the administrative court within six months. In parallel a serving member can undergo a re-examination on the commander’s referral and, where the condition entitles them to discharge, submit a report. We prepare the documents remotely, with no need for the client to attend.
How long does a case in the administrative court against a recruitment centre take?
Challenges to fines are heard under a shortened procedure, and judgment usually comes within one to three months. Claims about deferral or the medical board take longer: three to six months at first instance and another two to four on appeal. While the case is pending the court may grant interim relief (Art. 150 CAP).
What should I do if Reserve+ shows me as “wanted”?
That status means the recruitment centre does not hold your current data or has recorded a failure to attend. It is lifted once the data are updated and you attend the centre. Before going, gather the documents on your grounds for deferral or your health, and agree with your lawyer what to sign and what not to.
Contact a Svarog military lawyer
Describe the situation at the consultation: we will name the lawful grounds you have, the deadlines already running, and the first steps for the next few days.