Ukraine struggles to recruit troops as draft proves controversial

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 05 Jan 2024 by Alex Teddy

---

In 2022 Ukraine had plenty of volunteers for its military. But the war shows no sign of ending in 2024, and tens of thousands of military deaths have meant that few men are volunteering. They are demoralized by the defeat of the counter-offensive. Russia has almost 4 times the population of Ukraine. The Ukrainian military says it needs 500,000 recruits in 2024. This is to replace losses and to allow soldiers at the front to go on leave. The relatives of men at the front are demanding a draft to give their menfolk a break. Ukraine is trying to boost recruitment by lowering the draft age from 27 to 25. It is also striving to combat draft dodging. On December 25 the government proposed a mobilization bill to the Verkhovna Rada (parliament). The timing was presumably so it would attract little notice. Zelensky did not put his name on the bill. Some people have been exempted from the draft due to very slight disabilities. These exemptions will be revoked by the bill. Draft notices will be sent digitally, and draft dodgers will be blocked from the financial system and property transactions. The government asked regional authorities to be more cooperative on the draft. The mobilization bill could be passed by the end of January 2024. Some military age men have bribed to get medical certificates stating they are permanently unfit for military service. Rich men can bribe border guards to let them leave. Tens of thousands of others have crossed borders illegally and are in the EU. Some Ukrainian men were abroad in 2022 and have not returned for the war. Some men have failed to respond to draft notifications.  The draft is unpopular due to its opacity and the fact that the afflue...