Kiev has already pressed more than a million men into service but needs more MP Alexey Goncharenko has said Read Full Article at RTcom

Kiev will conscript 160,000 more troops over the next three months, according to statements from lawmakers and media outlets. More than a million soldiers have already been drafted, yet high losses have left the Ukrainian Armed Forces plagued by manpower shortages.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces had around 250,000 active-duty personnel at the beginning of 2022, a number that rapidly swelled once Vladimir Zelensky called up reservists and forbade draft-age men from leaving the country.

This spring, faced with mounting losses, Kiev lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 and significantly tightened mobilization rules, requiring potential recruits to report to conscription offices for “data validation.” These checks often result in people being immediately taken into the army and sent to the front line.

  • P_P@lemm.eeEnglish
    0·
    13 days ago

    Forced? Their fighting for their survival for fuck’s sake.

    • ISOmorph@feddit.org
      0·
      13 days ago

      That’s so easy to write isn’t it? I’m no coward, but I’m not sure some arbitrary border on a map is enough to motivate me to give up on seeing my daughter grow up. I understand that Russia is a fascist state led by a mad man who should be fought. Giving your life for that is no easy decision tho.

    • selokichtli@lemmy.ml
      0·
      12 days ago

      They are forced. They fight against the Ukrainian Army for their survival, because being drafted means they will probably die at this point. If they could keep avoiding the army, they would probably survive before this madness ends.

      You can have your side on this and think Ukraine is fighting for survival, but that’s a point of view, an idea. Some facts are:

      1. Ukraine is currently loosing this war. It’s even territorial.
      2. Ukraine is loosing support from their allies. And if Trump wins, which is somehow plausible, they’d be practically alone.
      3. Recently drafted citizens are just that, they are not soldiers. With their morale, they probably aren’t even fighters.
      4. A good chunk of the remaining Ukrainian people don’t want to fight no more.
      5. Drafting more inexperienced citizens will at best slow down the course of the current events.