If science is being used to dodge mobilization, it's a very small percentage - Dpty Minister Kurbatov

Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Education and Science Denis Kurbatov says he cannot guarantee that 100% of people employed in science are not doing so to dodge mobilization, but if such cases do occur, they represent a very small percentage.

"If we consider postgraduate study part of science, there were years - especially at the start of the full-scale war - when it was genuinely being used as one way to avoid mobilization. We have since changed that: we introduced additional exams and checks, and that wave has significantly subsided - we have nearly returned to pre-war levels. I cannot guarantee that 100% of people in science are not employed there to dodge mobilization, but if such cases do occur, it is a very small percentage," Kurbatov said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine, responding to a question about whether science is being used to evade mobilization.

Among other things, he noted that one of the factors that helped stabilize the decline in the number of scientists in the country was the state’s introduction of 100% deferment for individuals holding academic degrees and working in science and higher education.

As previously reported, Deputy Minister of Education and Science Mykola Trofymenko stated that the number of male applicants over the age of 25 across all levels of education in 2025 fell by more than half compared to 2024.