Armed Forces of Ukraine

Ukrainian Armed Forces
Збройні сили України (Ukrainian)
Emblem of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Flag of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Founded29 March 1917 (1917-03-29)
Current form6 December 1991 (1991-12-06)
Service branches Territorial Defense Forces
Unmanned Systems Forces
HeadquartersMinistry of Defence Building, Povitrianykh Syl Avenue, Kyiv
Websitewww.mil.gov.ua
Leadership
Supreme Commander-in-Chief President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi
Personnel
Military age18 (routine male conscription only, excl. martial law period)
Conscription12–18 months (depending on branches)
Active personnel900,000
Reserve personnel1,200,000
Expenditure
Budget$53.7 billion 2.2 trillion (2025) foreign military aid
Percent of GDP26% (2024)
Industry
Domestic suppliersUkrainian Defense Industry
Foreign suppliers
Former suppliers
Related articles
HistoryIraq War

Russo-Ukrainian War (2014–present)

RanksMilitary ranks of Ukraine

The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rada parliamentary commission. They trace their lineage to 1917, while the modern armed forces were formed again in 1991. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are the fifth largest armed force in the world in terms of both active personnel as well as total number of personnel with the eighth largest (14th largest) defence budget in the world, and it also operates one of the largest and most diverse drone fleets in the world. Due to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been described as "the most battle-hardened in Europe," but has suffered many casualties.

Ukraine's armed forces are composed of the Ground Forces, the Air Force, the Navy, the Air Assault Forces, the Marine Corps, the Special Operations Forces, the Unmanned Systems Forces, and the Territorial Defense Forces. Ukraine's navy includes its own Naval Aviation. The Sea Guard is the coast guard service of Ukraine, and it is organized as part of the Border Guard Service, not subordinate to the navy. The National Guard serves as a paramilitary reserve component of the Armed Forces.

Military units of other countries have participated regularly in multinational military exercises in Ukraine. Many of these exercises have been held under the NATO cooperation program Partnership for Peace. As of 2024, with over $120 billion in foreign military aid in addition to being one of the best-funded armed forces in the world, the Soviet era military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are fast being replaced with vast amounts of NATO standard military equipment.