Before the war in the trenches, there is the war waged in the minds of every future soldier. An internal, sometimes heartbreaking conflict between participation or non-participation in the military defense of Ukraine, which was under siege by the Russian army for almost 23 months. Stepan Kulyna, 29, a native of Chervonograd in the west of the country, has now put an end to this internal conflict and begun his participation in the process of mobilizing new recruits that the Armed Forces of Ukraine need to replace thousands of soldiers. exhausted. “I had a lot of doubts: yes or no, where should I go, what should I do,” admits Kulyna at an old bus station converted into a cafeteria in the bohemian district of Podil in the capital Kiev, which is covered in snow these days. The decision has been made. He contacted some brigades and submitted his application through a private employment platform, one of the growing opportunities promoted by Volodymyr Zelensky's government: hiring based on qualities rather than compulsory service. A new scenario, but one that does not guarantee the half million new recruits that Kiev needs. Meanwhile, Moscow is relieving its men in the east with some flexibility.
Ukraine certainly needs new recruits. With the large-scale invasion launched by Russia on February 24, 2022, the Ukrainian executive decreed martial law, banning men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country – with exceptions tied to, among other things, family size, situations of dependency or disability― . However, in the first months, the Volunteer Army supplied the Ukrainian battalion with energy and recruited men, which was possible thanks to the legal framework that governs the country. This voluntariness has been exhausted by the forces at the front – at the same time, reports of forced mobilization are increasing in some parts of the country.
Kulyna, with medium-length hair and blue eyes, is very careful about her words. Meditate before you speak. He is silent for a long time as he seems to form what he is thinking with the movement of his hands. “My decision,” he says, “has matured within me since the full-scale invasion began.” He studied finance and banking, although he now makes commercials and music videos. He wants to become a film director. Like so many other Ukrainians, Kulyna recognizes that he can identify with those who tell him that he has to go to the front, that it is time, but he also understands when others encourage him to do something different, because you only live once and the war will always be there.
Stepan Kulyna, 29, last Friday in a cafeteria in Kiev's Podil district. Oscar Gutierrez
—Two very different life options, right?
– Yes, so I asked myself who I wanted to be: someone with a perfect, fulfilling life or someone who fights, doesn't run and is responsible for people's well-being.
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– He chose the latter.
-Yes.
This is despite the fact that this option can even have an impact on your love life. In any case, the way Kulyna manages his mobilization falls outside the recruitment processes that have traditionally fueled the war. He is in contact with two military units with vacancies. But he also sent an application with his CV to the human resources company Lobby X, which has had a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Defense since November. “They're looking for a position where they can fit in and be more useful,” he says, “It's a way, like in finance, to buy options; “I think everyone has the right to decide.”
This is the debate in Ukraine, exhausted after almost two years of the Russian offensive, with a shortage of weapons and ammunition and already on the defensive at the front: it is the recruits who decide where to go voluntarily and according to their profile military commanders are those who direct the entire process with martial law in hand.
Delay with the new law
In the final months of last year, the Defense Ministry, led by Rustem Umerov, worked on a new mobilization law together with the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valery Zaluzhni. As President Zelensky confirmed, the high command's goal is to recruit between 450,000 and 500,000 people. According to the former comedy actor's calculations, this would cost around 12 billion euros. The bill reached parliament last month, but without consensus among political groups and with criticism from the House Anti-Corruption Committee. The draft generally sets the recruitment age from 27 to 25 years; tightens the list of exemptions for health problems; tightens restrictions on those who do not register with recruitment centers; calls for the control of men of fighting age who have left the country… Due to a lack of support, the government withdrew the text for review last Thursday.
A new delay at a delicate moment in the theater of war, and as analyzed last week by the Institute for the Study of War, a specialist in monitoring the conflict from its headquarters in Washington, Russia is now allowing itself with all its force in eastern Ukraine Deployed ground forces (an estimated 462,000 troops) conduct routine operational-level rotations of their troops.
Vladislav Greziev, 33, CEO of Lobby
On Independence Square 2 in Kiev, the center of the protests that forced pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych to flee the country a decade ago, are the offices of the Lugansk lobby, in the Moscow-controlled eastern strip, its founder and general director. An economist himself, he took part in Ukraine's military defense by land, sea and air just a day after Russia's invasion. But those were different times. He ended up in the volunteer unit and was able to demobilize from there over the summer. It was then that his employment company began to gain momentum in recruiting people for the army.
“During my experience in the military unit,” says Greziev in a cautious tone but at an accelerated pace, “I saw examples of people who were not in the place where they were supposed to be, although I also remember how a friend got along with his “experience to build good resource management skills”. Here's how it works: Lobby X receives a vacancy for a position in one of the 300 brigades it works with. You write the offer with a description of the position and the target unit; They announce it on their website and the process opens to candidates. Those interested must send an email with the application and their CV, which will ultimately reach the military commanders. If it suits, a first meeting is organized, perhaps remotely, and then a second one to seal the contract.
Greziev, who estimates that he and his 20-person team have already received around 57,000 applications for about 1,500 open positions, shows a graph on his cell phone showing the trend in requests for a position in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. “It’s growing,” he adds. According to the curve drawn by the data, applications through this platform have skyrocketed, especially after the cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Defense. And this despite allegations of corruption within the army. “It is not the main reason for demobilization,” the young businessman clarifies, “but the lack of equipment, trust in a military unit or the leadership of a commander.”
Corruption in the ranks
Vitali Shabunin, 39, co-founder of the civil organization Antac (Anti-Corruption Action Center), knows a lot about corruption. He is also one of those who threw themselves into the country's military defense after February 24, 2022, but in this case never left it. He is still part of a unit stationed in the Ukrainian capital, but has time to also combat corruption, which appears to be endemic. Although things are improving. This was the case with the new Defense Ministry team under Umerov – the previous minister, Oleksi Reznikov, left office after a scandal over the purchase of food for the army. “The system is starting to work properly,” says Shabunin at Antac headquarters. “After the scandal with Reznikov, it was clear that there had to be a clean slate in defense,” he continues.
He claims that a lot of money was leaked in the procurement of material for the army with public money and not so much in bribes to avoid paying the levy.
—Does the level of corruption in the army demotivate potential recruits?
– No, no, the percentage of those who escaped possible recruitment [de un modo fraudulento] It is very low. Sooner or later all men have to serve in the army.
Vitali Shabunin, 39, co-founder of Antac, in a provided image.
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