Gathering documents, standing in queues at the unit’s personnel office, planning around the schedule of a specific clerk… Since August 2024, the need for these bureaucratic procedures has disappeared, as the Ministry of Defence launched “Army+” specifically as a digital alternative to standard paper-based processes.

Over two years, the app has evolved significantly. Today it can be used to submit reports, confirm military service status, complete training courses, access a discounts programme, process certain personnel procedures, or return to service after unauthorised absence (UA).

As of August 2026, three out of four service members — approximately 75% of the Defence Forces — are already using “Army+”. Over two years, 3 million electronic reports have been submitted through the app, 732,000 military personnel have completed at least one training course, and the “Plusy” programme has been used more than 16 million times, saving, according to the Ministry of Defence’s estimates, over UAH 1.6 billion.

From Electronic Report to Digital Cabinet

The goal of the first phase of “Army+” was straightforward: to move standard reports into a digital format. For comparison — in the first six months of operation, the app was used by 660,000 service members from more than 1,500 units, and 150,000 reports of 17 types were submitted.

Now, two years on, 57 types of electronic reports are available — including those for leave, payments, discharge, training, change of duty station, and return from unauthorised absence.

In June 2025, a tool for commanders was introduced that allows approval of up to 40 reports in a single action using “Diia.Sign” or SmartID — this works effectively in conditions where a commander physically cannot process each document individually every day.

E-MOD: Military Document on a Smartphone

The most notable change has been the electronic military registration document — the e-MOD. On 17 July, the Ministry of Defence announced its launch within “Army+”. It has the same legal force as a paper military registration document and allows service members to confirm their status from a smartphone. At launch, the feature was available to personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and the State Special Transport Service (SSTS).

The document can be used at military units, checkpoints and roadblocks, during interaction with Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centres (TRSSCs) and military police, as well as at government institutions and organisations — where the relevant technical capabilities are available. Within three weeks of launch, the e-MOD was already accessible to more than 500,000 service members.

The document is generated automatically based on current digital data: “Army+” receives information through the Military Personnel Register, which in turn cross-references it with data from the personnel accounting system “Impuls”. The availability of the e-MOD therefore directly depends on how complete and up-to-date the data in these systems are.

The back of the document features a QR code for verification. According to the official “Army+” page, the code is valid for three minutes, after which it automatically refreshes — this is intended to reduce the risk of reuse of a copied document. In the initial phase, the e-MOD requires an internet connection, but the Ministry of Defence has announced that the ability to generate a document extract offline will be added in the future.

Contract in One Click

On 16 June, another service — “Contracts” — went live in “Army+” under the “Services” section. AFU and SSTS personnel can submit a report through the app to conclude a new contract of one of three types: infantry-assault, combat, or basic. The report must be reviewed within no more than 14 days from the date of submission.

However, the electronic report is only the beginning of the procedure. After submission, the personnel service conducts a review, contacts the service member for clarifications if necessary, and the contract itself must still be signed in the traditional manner with the person physically present.

Transfer: From Report to a New Mechanism

In the summer of 2026, the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff began testing a new model — simplified transfer within an army corps — initially involving the 16th and 19th Army Corps of the AFU.

The mechanism is available to service members holding ranks from private up to and including senior sergeant, who do not hold officer positions and are not on unauthorised absence. The report is submitted exclusively through “Army+”, where its status can be tracked and decisions received in digital format.

At the same time, restrictions apply on the number of transfers and monthly limits, so as not to create risks to units’ combat effectiveness. On 6 August, the Ministry of Defence reported the first approvals: orders on change of duty station have been drawn up, and extracts from them have been sent to units for implementation. The current unit’s commander then has up to 20 calendar days to process the paperwork. Testing will continue until 24 September 2026, after which the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff will assess the results and decide whether to scale the mechanism to other corps.

But a digital report in itself does not resolve the personnel problem underlying transfers. Some commanders effectively block their subordinates’ transfers due to a shortage of replacements and an unwillingness to “compete for personnel” by offering new service conditions.

Another Feature — Returning from Unauthorised Absence

In June, a dedicated mechanism appeared in “Army+” for service members who left their unit without authorisation before 12 June 2026. Under a simplified programme, they can submit a report through the app by 20 September 2026, choose a new unit from an available list, and complete the procedure for returning to service without being assigned to a reserve battalion.

“Plusy”: Digitalisation Extends Beyond Service

A separate area of “Army+” development is the “Plusy” programme. Over two years, 39 partners have joined it, and service members have used discounts more than 16 million times.

Current offers include discounts on fuel, coffee, food, clothing, outdoor gear, and other goods. The newest and arguably most notable addition is the “Ukrposhta.Pharmacy” service, which since July gives military personnel and their relatives a 25–50% discount on medicines with free delivery to more than 26,000 localities. Promo codes are generated directly in the app — up to five per month — and can be shared with family members.

August Outages

The app’s scale also means greater vulnerability to technical incidents. On 14 August, the Ministry of Defence reported an authorisation failure: some users were unable to log in to their personal account. Service was restored the same day. On the evening of 22 August, “Army+” and some functions of “Reserve+” were unavailable due to planned maintenance by the Ministry of Digital Transformation on the “Trembita” electronic interaction system, from which both apps draw data from state registers.

In “Reserve+” during this time, only the previously updated e-MOD remained accessible; all other functions requiring data exchange with registers were temporarily unavailable. The Ministry of Defence advised military personnel to carry paper documents that evening. Full dependence on a digital counterpart therefore remains risky for now.

Security Matters

“Army+” handles personal data, military status information, service data, reports and the results of electronic service provision, receiving some information through electronic interaction with state registers. The more functions move to the smartphone, the more critical the question of its protection becomes.

In June, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported the detention of hackers who had developed a fake copy of the “Reserve+” app. This is not the first attempt to extract the personal data of military-eligible individuals under the guise of an official service. The Ministry of Defence has previously warned: “Army+” should be downloaded exclusively from Google Play or the App Store, and third-party websites and unverified links in messengers and social networks should not be trusted.

The App Is Built by Insiders for Insiders

The Defence Forces are establishing an institution of digital officers, which is ultimately intended to number around 7,000 — one at each level up to and including battalion. As of early June, more than 800 specialists had already been appointed to these posts out of a planned 2,000, and the first 35 digital transformation leaders completed a two-month training programme at CDTO Campus. These are the people responsible for ensuring that digital tools work within units. They implement new systems, gather feedback from troops, and generate requests for improvements.

How to Use the “Army+” App

  • Update the app and check for the availability of the e-MOD. If the document is missing, contact your unit’s personnel service.
  • Carry paper copies of your documents when travelling and on leave. Planned maintenance occurs without any guarantee of instant service restoration.
  • Install the app only from official stores.
  • If you are on unauthorised absence and are considering returning — the simplified programme is only valid until 20 September and applies only to those whose absence was recorded before 12 June.
  • Keep an eye on the “Plusy” section. The partner discounts programme expands practically every month and now covers not only fuel and coffee, but medicines too.

The following materials were used in preparing this article: