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Ukraine has lowered its military conscription age from 27 to 25 to replenish its depleted ranks after more than two years of war with Russia. The new mobilization law came into force a day after it was signed by Ukrainian President Zelensky. The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, passed it last year.
However, it was not clear why Zelensky took so much time to implement this law. They made no public comment and officials did not say how many new soldiers the country expected to receive or for which units the recruits would be recruited.
severe shortage of ammunition
Recruitment into the army has been a sensitive matter in Ukraine for several months due to a growing shortage of infantry and a severe shortage of ammunition. Due to this, Russia had to take the initiative to enter the battlefield. Russia’s own problems with manpower and planning have so far prevented it from taking full advantage of its advantage.
Average age of Ukrainian soldiers
Military analysts say that like the soldiers on the Russian side, the average age of Ukrainian soldiers is around 40. Some Ukrainians worry that pulling young adults out of the workforce will further damage the war-ravaged economy, but the problem has reportedly become acute as Kiev prepares for a summer offensive by Kremlin forces.
Preparation of five lakh soldiers
Zelensky has rarely mentioned the issue of mobilization, and parliament has held long and inconclusive debates about it in recent months. Last December, Zelensky said that Ukraine’s army wanted to mobilize 500,000 more soldiers. But he said he had asked top officials to provide details of what was a very sensitive matter before deciding whether to fulfill his wish or not.
Zelensky had said at that time that such a huge mobilization would cause losses to Ukraine equivalent to $13.4 billion. He said other aspects to be considered include whether soldiers currently at the front will be rotated or allowed to leave for home.
Ukrainian Defense Ministry figures
The need for widespread mobilization to increase Ukrainian troop numbers was reportedly one of the areas of disagreement between Zelensky and General Valery Zaluzny, the popular commander of Ukraine’s armed forces, whom the president replaced in February. Ukrainian Defense Ministry figures say the Ukrainian army had about 800,000 troops in October. This does not include the National Guard or other units. In total, 1 million Ukrainians are in uniform.
