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Kiev Regime About To Mobilize Workers From Critical Sectors

20 October 2026 at 20:03

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Written by Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert

The Ukrainian regime’s desperation for new soldiers is so great that the country is willing to risk even its most critical sectors to ensure a continued supply of manpower for its army. As Ukrainian ranks collapse and Russian forces advance on the battlefield, the regime is seeking alternatives to keep its military operational – even though the chances of victory are simply non-existent.

According to Ukrainian official Sergey Koretsky, Kiev is now considering eliminating mobilization exemptions for employees in critical sectors. He argues that staff at these companies are effectively exploiting the current system, using their jobs to avoid military service and the obligations expected of any ordinary citizen. Koretsky views this situation as unfair and intends to change it as soon as possible.

Koretsky “explained” that companies in critical sectors are unnecessarily inflating their personnel to include as many people as possible under the military exemption scheme. Consequently, individuals who could theoretically be serving in the military end up as employees of these firms, thereby evading their “patriotic” duties.

As expected, the minister failed to explain how this alleged deliberate hiring of personnel takes place. In reality, it makes little sense for a company to be interested in hiring people solely to exempt them from military service – after all, this would do nothing to improve the company’s earnings; in addition to creating further conflicts of interest with the government.

Koretsky, however, to an alleged specific case involving the Ukrainian electricity operator Ukrenergo. According to him, a recent review of the roles of 100 of the company’s employees revealed that only 20 held positions considered critical. Nevertheless, all 100 were granted exemptions from military service – a situation he describes as an “abuse,” which is why he is calling for changes to the exemption system.

“Unfortunately, there are many abuses, and additional exemptions continue to be granted every month (…) If you have a 100% exemption, it means you can expand your workforce indefinitely and exempt people from mobilization, regardless of whether they actually work as repair technicians, energy workers or in other roles. Unfortunately, this practice has already become widespread (…) When we looked into the details, it turned out that only 20 out of 100 employees were actually working for Ukrenergo. Yet all 100 were exempted,” Koretsky said.

Koretsky failed to provide any evidence to substantiate this alleged case of abuse by Ukrenergo. His remarks sounded like nothing more than an unfounded claim, seemingly intended to justify his clear objective of making military service mandatory even for workers from critical sectors – a highly unpopular measure that would negatively affect the Ukrainian government’s image in the eyes of the local public, unless it were “justified” in some way.

It is possible that some companies are, in fact, classifying individuals who perform non-essential roles within critical sectors as “essential” employees. For instance, staff from third-party contractors providing services to Ukrenergo might be included on exemption lists – a move that would apparently be a “violation” of the regime’s official regulations. Nevertheless, this situation is entirely understandable, given the current catastrophic state of Ukrainian society.

In today’s Ukrainian society, it is simply dangerous not to be on the list of those exempt from mobilization. Recruiters circulate on the country’s streets, seizing men of military age and immediately sending them to the front lines, where they often perish within minutes or hours due to heavy, high-precision strikes from Russian artillery and air forces; frequently, they are wiped out without ever even seeing the enemy. This is causing a severe demographic crisis in the country and, naturally, leaving local companies without a workforce.

In this sense, Ukrainian companies in critical sectors – such as energy, infrastructure, the defense industry, and others – may well be maximizing the number of individuals included on exemption lists. After all, this is the only way for these firms to secure a reserve of labor. Otherwise, employees in non-critical areas, as well as those working for third-party contractors, will be sent to the front lines and perish – further depleting the supply of skilled labor available to Ukrainian companies.

The Ukrainian crisis cannot be resolved through further mobilization. Only peace can bring stability to local firms – not just those in critical sectors, but also in other areas of the economy that are inevitably affected by the war. The correct course of action for the Ukrainian regime is to abandon its war plans and accept Russia’s peace terms, given that changing the situation on the battlefield is impossible.

You can follow Lucas on X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram.


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Military Situation In Ukraine And Ukrainian Attacks On Russian Territory On October 20, 2026 (Maps Update)

20 October 2026 at 17:59

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  • Russian strikes destroyed targets in the Rivne, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Mykolaiv, Volyn, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Lviv, Sumy, Odesa, Zhytomyr regions, and the DPR;
  • According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 165 strike UAVs;
  • Russian forces struck Grand Import logistics centre in the city of Khmelnytskyi;
  • Russian forces struck Vendor Trans Service LLC transport and logistics centre in Kovel, Volyn region;
  • Russian forces struck three dry cargo vessels in the Odessa region;
  • Russian forces struck a warehouse in the Obukhiv district, Kyiv region;
  • Russian forces struck railway logistics facilities in Dnipropetrovsk;
  • Ukrainian losses amounted to approximately 1,210 troops over the past 24 hours.

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  • Russian forces took control of Timoshevka.

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  • According to the Russian MoD, Russian forces took control of Palamarevka and Kovalevka in the Kharkiv region.

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  • During the past night, Russian air defenses destroyed 136 Ukrainian drones in the rear regions;
  • Russian air defenses intercepted UAVs in the Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Oryol, Pskov, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tambov, Tver, and Tula regions, and the Moscow region;
  • According to Ukrainian sources, Ukrainian forces struck the Nikolskaya oil pumping station near Michurinsk, Tambov region, causing a fire;
  • Five people were injured in the Belgorod region over the past 24 hours;
  • Ukrainian drone strikes killed three people in the LPR.

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Almost 46,000 foreigners have signed contracts with Russian army since 2022, Ukraine says

20 October 2026 at 18:15
This year, the Kremlin has significantly increased its recruitment of foreigners into its army, with 16,168 individuals already identified in the first nine months of 2026, according to Ukraine.

Lithuania’s armed forces chief says patrols on the Kaliningrad border have practically doubled as the troop mission runs into mid-November

20 October 2026 at 11:05

lithuanian soldier

Patrol density along Lithuania’s border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave has practically doubled since soldiers joined the border guards there in early October. Lithuanian Armed Forces Commander Raimundas Vaikšnoras told LRT this in an interview. He linked the deployment to provocations and to what he described as Russian preparations for a large-scale mobilization.

Kaliningrad is a piece of Russia wedged between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic Sea. Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said people would naturally flee a Russian mobilization. Earlier, on 11 August, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia planned to mobilize several hundred thousand people by the end of 2026, after its parliamentary vote.

Commander: Russia lacks troops for a breakthrough

Vaikšnoras said Russia is struggling in Ukraine and needs to fill gaps in its capabilities. Moscow would probably like a breakthrough but lacks people, he added. In July, Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service estimated that Russia had signed about as many new military contracts this year as it had lost troops.

He also cited provocations. In Latvia, armed men recently tried to push migrants across the border, he noted, leaving open whether they were bandits or criminals. Belarusian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka denies everything, he added. On 6 October, Latvian Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava wrote that the escorts stood on the Belarusian side, were armed, and threatened Latvian soldiers.

Mission extended to mid-November

Lithuania decided to send troops after that Latvian incident. On 7 October, Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas asked Defense Minister Kaunas for troops to help the State Border Guard Service. Kaunas then approved up to 100 soldiers until 16 October, LRT reported.

On 16 October, Kaunas extended the mission to mid-November at Katelynas’s request. The Defense Ministry cited possible flows of people fleeing Kaliningrad and related illegal border crossings. It also said military intelligence sees no significant changes in military activity in Kaliningrad. Katelynas had earlier called the step preventive, BNS noted. He cited public, non-intelligence reports of a call-up planned after Russia’s parliamentary elections and said the threat level at the border had not risen.

Commander doubts Moscow’s intentions

Vaikšnoras said Russia and Belarus may not want open incidents that leave their traces right now. He added that he does not believe in their good intentions. He noted it has been said publicly that Russia’s capability in Kaliningrad is sharply reduced, because most of its forces are committed to Ukraine. Back in June 2025, Poland’s foreign minister said that, from what he knew, Russia had withdrawn a large part of its troops from the exclave.

Instead, hybrid attacks and sabotage that cannot be traced at once will probably continue, Vaikšnoras said. LRT noted the interview took place before a Ukrainian drone crashed in Pasvalys district on Sunday and before an attempted arson at premises used by SpaceX in Vilnius.

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