Faced with an escalating manpower crisis, Ukraine has launched “Contract 18–24,” a recruitment program offering $24,000 sign-on bonuses, monthly salaries six times the national average, free college tuition, and interest-free mortgages to entice young men into joining the army.

The scheme targets men aged 18–24, a group President Zelensky had previously shielded from the front lines. The effort comes after years of full-scale war and dwindling volunteer numbers.

The government is appealing to Gen Z with social media campaigns, TikTok videos, and flashy billboards. One viral clip asked how many cheeseburgers a million hryvnia can buy (15,625). Still, uptake has been slow, with only around 500 recruits signed up since February. Bureaucratic hurdles and parental opposition have delayed many from joining.

Some teens, like Kyrylo Horbenko and Oleksandr Bahach, see enlistment as duty. Others, like Timur Ushak, plan to emigrate permanently.

The perks have stirred resentment. Soldiers who joined early in the war—often without financial incentives—call Contract 18–24 enrollees “the millionaires.” One decorated officer, Maj. Yevheniy Hromadsky, who earned $300/month in 2022, says young recruits are ill-prepared and demotivated by years of war fatigue.

Hromadsky urges mandatory service and better training to stabilize Ukraine’s armed forces.