Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that Ukrainian military leadership proposed mobilizing 450,000-500,000 new conscripts to fight Russia as Kyiv is dealing with a manpower shortage.
The Ukrainian leader said he needed to hear more about the plan before ordering the mobilization. “This is a serious number. I said I need more arguments to support this direction,” he said, according to The Kyiv Independent. “I need concrete information on what will (then) happen with the 1-million military of Ukraine.”
Zelensky’s government has already been taking desperate measures and abusing its power under martial law to fill its ranks. The New York Times reported on December 15 that Ukrainian army recruiters have become “increasingly aggressive in their efforts to replenish the ranks, in some cases pulling men off the streets and whisking them to recruiting centers using intimidation and even physical force.”
The aggressive tactics have been used against men who ordinarily would have been exempted from the draft. In at least one case, one man diagnosed with a “mental disability” as a child was summoned by recruiters, but his conscription was prevented by a lawyer.
Under martial law, men ages 18-60 are barred from leaving the country, but anyone under the age of 27 without prior military service is exempt from the draft. Ukraine’s parliament passed a bill lowering the age to 25 that Zelensky has yet to sign, but he signaled on Tuesday that he will.
When asked if he would approve the mobilization of women and men under 25, Zelensky said, “Women – no, I will not sign it … As for 25-year-old men, (yes) if all the arguments are presented. As of today, I see that it is necessary, so I agree with it.”
Ukraine’s efforts to fill its ranks come as it’s become clear that Ukrainian forces can not beat the Russians on the battlefield, and Ukrainian Marines have said they’re being sent on “suicide” missions across the Dnieper River. Despite the reality on the ground, President Biden is seeking over $60 billion to fund the war for another year, which has yet to be approved due to a partisan dispute on border policies.
Zelensky said he’s confident that the US will continue funding the war and his government. “We are working very hard on this, and I am certain the United States of America will not betray us, and that on which we agreed in the United States will be fulfilled completely,” he said.
Photo: President Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference on Dec. 19, 2023 © Volodymyr Zelensky / X.
Source: AntiWar.
