According to the Serbian Economist, Croatia is officially reintroducing compulsory military service on January 1, 2026 after a 17-year hiatus.
According to changes to the Defense Law approved by the Croatian Parliament in October 2025, the country is introducing two months of basic military training for conscripts amid rising tensions in Europe and the Balkans.
According to Ministry of Defense clarifications and government communications, the mandatory service will apply to men, primarily young men born in 2007 and onward, while women will be able to participate on a voluntary basis. The first calls for medical examinations are scheduled to be sent out at the end of December, while the first conscripts will enter military units in March 2026.
Basic service (temeljno vojno osposobljavanje) will last two months and include handling personal weapons, use of modern equipment, first aid and basic self-defense skills.
Recruits will receive about 1,100 euros per month (2,200 euros for the entire term of service), with payment for food, accommodation and travel; the time of service will be counted in the employment record. For conscientious objectors, civilian service in the civil protection system for up to three or four months with a lower payment (about 250 euros per month) is envisaged.
Previously, compulsory conscription in Croatia was abolished in 2008 amid the transition to a professional army and NATO membership. The authorities explain the decision to return military service by the need to strengthen defense capabilities and prepare the population to act in crisis situations against the backdrop of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the general growth of instability in the region.
https://t.me/relocationrs/2005
Polish Defense Minister Vladislav Kosiniak-Kamysz said that the country intends to create an army of more than 500,000 troops.
This significantly exceeds the plans previously announced by President Karol Navrocki to bring the army to 300,000.
“We will create an army larger than the one President Nawrocki spoke about — not 300,000, but more than 500,000 people,” the minister said in an interview with Rzeczpospolita.
According to him, the president has already approved plans to expand the army.
Currently, there are more than 210,000 soldiers in the Polish army, and by the end of 2025, this figure is expected to reach 230,000.
Earlier, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the Polish army is already the largest in the EU and in a few years will become “the strongest in the region.”
The inflated cost of food products purchased for the Armed Forces, as reported in the media, does not correspond to reality, as evidenced by the contract of the Defense Ministry, with a copy of which the members of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence have familiarized themselves, said its head Aleksandr Zavitnevych (Sluka Naroda faction).
“We have all seen the contract and the figure that was specified (in the media – IFU) does not correspond to reality. Therefore, to say that we buy chicken eggs two or three times more expensive than in the market is wrong. The contract has a completely different figure,” Zavitnevich said on the air of the national telethon on Monday.
He specified that all members of the committee at Monday’s meeting saw a copy of this contract.
According to Zavitnevich, it will be possible to draw any conclusions after an appropriate expertise and investigation by law enforcement agencies. He also believes that there is no need to rush with personnel changes in connection with the high-profile situation.
“Now to talk about personnel changes … I would not make such statements. When the NABU and other law enforcement agencies arrive at their conclusions and when the cases are sent to court, then we will be able to talk about some personnel decisions,” the head of the committee said.
He recalled that even before the publication in the media about possible abuses in the procurement of products for the AFU interested the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and other law enforcement agencies.
As reported earlier, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov denied information about the purchase of food for the Armed Forces at inflated prices.
Earlier, the ZN.UA publication asserted that under the agreement of the Defense Ministry on the services of catering in 2023 for military units stationed in Poltava, Sumy, Kiev, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv and Cherkasy regions, in a deal worth 13.16 billion UAH overpriced procurement by 2-3 times.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and state-owned enterprise (SOE) Antonov signed a memorandum of cooperation in the construction of aircraft for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The memorandum was signed with the participation of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the press service of the head of state said.
At the first stage, this is about three new military transport aircraft An-178, which will receive the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They can be used for the delivery of personnel, weapons and light military equipment by landing and parachute methods, as well as for the transportation of goods.
“These new aircraft will be constructed by Ukrainian citizens, from Ukrainian components, for Ukrainian interests. Actually, the way it should be,” Zelensky said before the document signing ceremony, which took place at SOE Antonov.
