Ukrainian army proposes to mobilize up to 500,000 people, says Volodymyr Zelensky

This article was originally published in English

The Ukrainian army, which is struggling to find volunteers, has offered to mobilize “450,000 to 500,000 people” to continue fighting the Russian invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday, while specifying that he would not had not yet made a decision.

Military command “proposed to mobilize 450,000 to 500,000 people”he said at a press conference in Kyiv, adding that he needed “more arguments supporting this idea” because it is a “very important figure”.

“Our units are understaffed“, Major Oleksandr Volkov, commander of a battalion of the 24th mechanized brigade, said earlier. “We need motivated young people under 40 years old“.

This is precisely the advantage that Russia has always had over Ukraine: larger numbers and the desire to send as many men as necessary – whether they are prepared or not – fight.

According to Global Firepower data for 2023, the Ukrainian army has approximately 500,000 military personnel, of which 200,000 are active. For comparison, Russia has about four times as many active military personnel – 1,330,900 troops – and 250,000 reservists.

“Today’s society has probably been misled by some media outlets, which claim that everything is fine (for the Ukrainian army), that we are defeating the enemy and that victory will take place in the future. close“, adds Oleksandr Volkov. “But the current situation is not so simple. The enemy is really very strong, very powerful. And we do everything to hold him back and beat him“.

Despite significant losses in men and equipment, Russia resisted Ukraine’s counter-offensive this summer, and is rather confident for the futureas evidenced by Vladimir Putin’s recent comments on the conflict.

A lack of young recruits

As Ukraine continues to fight for its freedom and territorial integrity, the war fails to attract recruits among civilianssay Oleksandr Volkov and other officials.

At the start of the war, “everything happened in adrenaline, in a sort of exaltation (…) everyone rushed to fight and there was no problem (recruitment)“, adds Lieutenant Igor Prokopiak, commander of a company. “But over time it calmed down. As civilians have access to social media, they have discovered the terrible and cruel side of war. The initial adrenaline wore off, the brain woke up, fear appeared and, as a result, people began to fear for their lives.”

The authorities note that the average age of soldiers on the front has increased,Oleksandr Volkov says 40% of his unit is 45 and over. Those who have been at the front for two years are exhausted, and cannot be replaced due to lack of new troops.

In late November, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the country would reform conscription practices by working with commercial recruitment companies in order to strengthen its strike force.

Paris and London promise unfailing support

UK and France will support Ukraine “as long as necessary“, British Foreign Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday during a joint conference with his French counterpart, Catherine Colonna.

“I have no doubt that Putin will lose (the war) and it is essential that he loses“.

“The first act was Russia’s dismal failure to achieve its goals. The second act was the resounding resistance of the Ukrainians who pushed back the Russians. And of course the third act is more difficult“, adds David Cameron. “The fourth act remains to be written and we must ensure that it is written in the right way“, he concludes.

“Our two countries, hand in hand from the beginning, are working together to ensure that Russian aggression is not rewarded“, says Catherine Colonna.

“We hope that this cooperation can be further strengthened“, she adds. “The fate of Ukraine is obviously at stake, but also the security of the European continent“.

Continued support from Ukraine’s allies is seen as crucial to the country’s ability to continue the fight against the Russian invasion. US financial and military aid is currently blocked in Congress, while last week, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban blocked a European Union aid program for Kyiv.