The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, signed this Tuesday the bill by which the minimum age of recruitment is reduced from 27 to 25 years, a measure aimed at expanding military mobilization at a time when the Ukrainian armed forces are already suffering exhaustion among their ranks after more than two years of war. The Ukrainian president has signed his signature on the bill on amendments to the legislation on military service, according to the website of the Parliament of Ukraine, known as the Verkhovna Rada.
In mid-February, the Rada took the first step to promote a general law with which to expand military mobilization by facilitating the recruitment of more citizens to swell the ranks of the Ukrainian Army in the midst of the Russian invasion, initiated by order of President Vladimir Putin at the end of February 2022.
The military mobilization in the invaded country has generated controversy, because the recruitment of residents abroad has been proposed. Last year, the high command, then under General Valeri Zaluzhni, informed the Government that between 450,000 and 500,000 new recruits were needed. The new mobilization bill passed its first reading on February 12, allowing amendments to be made. Once considered, it will be voted on a second time and if approved it will become law. Some 4,300 amendments have been proposed, the majority from the Servant of the People party, led by Zelensky himself.
The Ukrainian president has separately signed two other rules linked to conscription: a bill requiring men granted military exemptions on disability grounds to undergo a new medical evaluation, and another aimed at creating a base
online
data
of those eligible for military service.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), an analysis center that follows developments on the front daily, positively assesses the reduction in the recruitment age in its latest report. “Reducing the mobilization age from 27 to 25 years will support the ability of the Ukrainian army to restore, rebuild existing units and create new units,” notes the Washington-based
think tank
, which, however, adds:
“
ISW continues to assess that the material provided by the West remains the most important decisive factor for the Ukrainian army's ability to restore and increase its combat power."
Precisely this Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that some 16,000 Russians have enlisted to fight in Ukraine after the attack that on March 22 left 144 dead and half a thousand injured in the Crocus City Hall concert hall. on the outskirts of the Russian capital. “In the last 10 days, about 16,000 citizens have signed contracts to participate in the special military operation [as the Kremlin calls the large-scale invasion in Ukraine],” the ministry said in a statement posted on Telegram.
The total number of new recruits, according to figures released by Moscow, would exceed 100,000 so far this year. The Russian Defense Ministry says that up to 1,700 people report daily to selection centers for contract enlistment. This Wednesday, Zelensky, on an official visit to Helsinki, the capital of Finland, stated that Russia "is ready to mobilize 300,000 additional soldiers before June 1."
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