Ukraine is preparing to launch a new mobilization to integrate its armed forces after 21 months of war with Russia. Kiev is close to adopting a new law, parliamentarian Mariana Bezuhla announced on Facebook, to expand the demographics from which soldiers will be selected for the conflict.
Oleksandr Zavitnevych, chairman of the National Security and Defense Committee, confirmed that the law is being finalized. The measure is necessary as the war is now approaching two years. The last few months have been marked by very serious clashes in Avdiivka Oblast, an industrial center in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
In October, Russia launched a major offensive to take the city. According to the analysts’ picture, Moscow has thousands of soldiers, tanks and vehicles stationed in the region. In total, Russia would deploy 40,000 soldiers for the attack. To withstand the shock wave, Ukraine had to demand extreme efforts from its military apparatus, while at the same time the Kiev forces tried to maintain pressure on the southern front in the Zaporizhia pressure.
Graduates and prisoners, the new soldiers for Kiev
Now the country led by President Volodymyr Zelensky must act, as Newsweek also points out: The new laws should eliminate the exemption currently provided for those who excel in their studies up to a level of specialization. In addition, citizens who performed military service for other countries and subsequently acquired Ukrainian citizenship could also be called into arms. Another “reservoir”, as has already happened in Russia since the beginning of the war, will be those convicted of a crime.
In recent days, a senior officer – commander Petr Gorbatenko, who leads the third brigade’s first assault battalion – has called for a measure to lower the conscription age. Like Russia, Ukraine does not release any official death toll. Without communication, it is virtually impossible for observers and analysts to get a clear overview of the situation. The latest hypotheses date back to last spring: US Defense Intelligence attributed 15,000 to 17,000 deaths and 109,000 to 113,500 injuries to Ukraine.
How many soldiers died in the war?
Kiev updates the bulletin daily, which cannot be independently verified, with figures on Russia’s alleged losses: Moscow would have lost almost 320,000 men since February 2022. A number light years away from the 5,937 dead reported by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. quoted once a year ago.
In September of this year, Russia “leaked” another piece of information. The Russian Labor Ministry has ordered the printing of 230,000 certificates for families of fallen war veterans and 750,000 certificates for war veterans, many more than in the past. In May, the Labor Department ordered 100,000 certificates for combat veterans and 23,000 for family members of deceased combatants.
Women in struggle, the idea of Russia
Although sales are not the main focus, they are a problem for both countries. Russia is beginning to hypothesize through private channels that female employment is increasing. A private military and security company backed by Moscow’s intelligence agency is trying for the first time to recruit women for combat missions in the conflict that began more than 600 days ago, British intelligence has highlighted. “A call has been made on social media for female recruits to join the Borz Battalion, part of the Russian PMC Redut, in the positions of snipers and unmanned vehicle operators. Redut is probably directly sponsored by the Main Directorate of Russian Intelligence.”
“In March 2023, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that 1,100 women had been sent to Ukraine, representing about 0.3% of their troops. As Redut’s announcement shows, they are currently primarily taking on supporting roles in the areas of medicine and logistics. It’s unclear – the intelligence report notes whether the Russian Defense Forces will try to follow suit and allow women more combat roles.
Hunting for deserters
In total, Ukraine currently has around 800,000 troops. Anyone who deserts will be fined and risk 8 years in prison. In recent weeks, the spotlight has been on the nearly 20,000 men who have fled abroad to escape the fighting. Another 21,113 were stopped by authorities while attempting to cross the border or obtaining false exemptions, the BBC reported.
After the outbreak of war, Ukraine banned the expatriation of men between the ages of 18 and 60. The number of 19,740 men who fled abroad was based on data on illegal entries into Romania, Moldova, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia between February 2022 and August 2023.
The resistance fighters also included 6,800 people who tried to obtain false exemptions. Men with special health problems, fathers of at least three children and employees with special tasks are excluded from military service.