Legal Support for Discharge from the AFU, NGU, SBGS: A Lawful Exit Is Possible
Health
Family circumstances
Age limit
Legal protection
1–3 months
Honest service deserves a dignified completion. But under martial law, discharge from the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), National Guard (NGU) or State Border Guard Service (SBGS) is a complex bureaucratic procedure. Commanders often delay report reviews, lose documents, refuse without legal grounds.
O'LAW lawyers in Lviv provide full support of the process: from grounds analysis to receiving the order on exclusion from the unit's personnel lists. We work with servicemembers of AFU, NGU, SBGS, Special Operations Forces. Information current as of 2026.
Article 26 of the Ukrainian Law «On Military Duty and Military Service»
Contains an exhaustive list of discharge grounds. Having a ground is only half the battle. The key is to properly formalise and prove it.
Main Grounds for Discharge
We work with all lawful grounds under Article 26:
Health
Based on the MMC opinion of unfitness for military service with exclusion from military registration. The most common and evidentially strong ground.
Caring for relatives with disability
Care for a spouse, child or parent with disability of group I or II. Requires notarised consent of other relatives and MSEC documents.
Three or more children
Maintaining three or more children under 18 (including adopted, foster). Confirmed by certificates and residence proof.
Child with disability
Maintaining a child with disability under 18. Confirmed by MSEC certificate. Guardianship of a deceased combatant's child is a separate ground.
Age limit
Reaching the age limit for military service. Different age limits apply to enlisted personnel, NCOs, and officers by rank.
Length of service
By length of service with pension entitlement. Preferential service period (combat, special conditions) is calculated.
Why You Need a Lawyer
The system resists. A self-filed report often remains unaddressed for months. What the O'LAW lawyer does:
- Builds a document package that cannot be faulted: precise notarisations, full list of certificates, originals and copies.
- Drafts a legally precise report with references to current law, Ministry of Defence orders, Cabinet decrees.
- Monitors review deadlines — when missed, automatically challenges inaction.
- If needed, challenges MMC opinions in parallel (often paired with health-based discharge).
- Drives the case to the order on exclusion from lists — doesn't get "stuck" halfway.
Cooperation Process — 4 Stages
1
Situation analysis
We review your documents in Telegram, identify the strongest discharge ground, estimate timelines and chances.
2
Document gathering
Full list, instructions for you. If needed — attorney inquiries to hospitals, MSEC, registries.
3
Report & filing
Draft a legally precise report with references. Guide you on how to file with proof of delivery.
4
Control & escalation
Support until the discharge order. If stalled — complaints, attorney inquiries, administrative court petition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Article 26 of the Ukrainian Law «On Military Duty and Military Service» contains an exhaustive list of grounds that apply during war: unfitness for health (MMC opinion), family circumstances, age limit, length of service, inability to perform duties. Each ground requires evidence and a properly drafted report.
We collect a package of notarised documents (children's birth certificates, disability documents, guardianship rulings), draft a report referencing specific norms. Most common grounds: caring for a spouse with disability of group I-II, three or more children under 18, caring for a disabled child. Each situation is analysed individually.
Common situation. The O'LAW lawyer issues attorney inquiries with a 5-day response obligation, files complaints to superior command, VSP, Military Prosecutor's Office, the Ombudsman. If these don't work — a petition to the administrative court challenging inaction. Inaction is a separate ground for challenge.
Submit the report officially: by registered mail with content inventory and delivery confirmation to the unit's address. This fixes the filing legally. In parallel, the lawyer sends an attorney inquiry demanding a response. The commander's actions (refusing to accept the document) are a separate offence that's challenged independently.
By law the report is reviewed within 30 days (for general inquiries). In combat conditions, terms may be longer. Overall, from filing the report to the order excluding from personnel lists — 1–3 months without opposition. If the commander stalls, we use challenge mechanisms to speed things up.
Under martial law, contract expiration is NOT an automatic ground for discharge — service is extended until the special period ends. Exceptions: foreigners, certain categories. However, contract expiration combined with another ground (health, family) often helps speed up the process.
Yes, via MMC — based on an opinion of unfitness or limited fitness for military service. After treatment, the servicemember is referred to MMC, which determines the fitness category. Based on the MMC opinion, a discharge report is prepared. The O'LAW lawyer helps with documents and, if needed, challenges the MMC ruling.
Exact price is set after a short situation assessment — via Telegram or phone. Depends on complexity: clear-cut ground, need to challenge MMC, commander resistance. For typical cases with one ground — fixed fee. For complex cases with court challenges — stage-by-stage payment.
Want to Discharge Lawfully? Don't Let Bureaucracy Violate Your Rights
Describe your situation in Telegram or by phone — the O'LAW lawyer will assess your ground in 30 minutes. If there are real chances — we'll plan the action. If not — we'll say so honestly, without wasting your time and money.
Want to go home lawfully?
Don't let bureaucracy violate your rights. Hand the case to a lawyer who'll drive it to the order.
Phone: +38 063 404 67 68
Phone: +38 068 679 52 51
Telegram: t.me/olaw_help
Messengers: Signal, WhatsApp
Email: o3law.company@gmail.com
Address: 32 Doroshenka St., Lviv
Confidential. Attorney-client privilege. Mon–Fri 10:00–19:00, Sat 10:00–14:00.
