Zelensky’s inability to forge a political consensus on a mobilization strategy — despite months of warnings about a severe shortage of qualified troops on the front — has fueled deep divisions in Ukraine’s parliament and more broadly in Ukrainian society. It has left the military relying on a hodgepodge of recruiting efforts and sown panic among fighting-age men, some of whom have gone into hiding, worried that they will be drafted into an ill-equipped army and sent to certain death given that aid for Ukraine remains stalled in Washington.
The quandary over how to fill the ranks has confronted Zelensky with perhaps the greatest challenge to his leadership since the start of the February 2022 invasion. The lack of a clear mobilization strategy — or even agreement on how many more troops Ukraine needs — factored into Zelensky’s dismissal of his top general in February, but the new commander in chief, Oleksandr Syrsky, so far has brought no new clarity.
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For all this time, men between the ages of 18 and 60 have been banned from leaving the country, and men 27 and older have been eligible to be drafted, with some exceptions. Civilians between 18 and 27 can sign up on their own. Parliament has now spent months heatedly debating a bill that would change the mobilization process and widen the scope of the draft, in part by lowering the eligibility age to 25.
So I guess that there's a certain segment of the party that is blocking aid that is happy about this and the other segment doesn't care about it even though two years ago the entire country was...
So I guess that there's a certain segment of the party that is blocking aid that is happy about this and the other segment doesn't care about it even though two years ago the entire country was waving Ukraine flags?
Waving a flag is easy. So is accepting Russian suitcases full of cash. It's much harder to send people to die, or stand firm in the face of blackmail from the Russian intelligence service. There's...
Waving a flag is easy. So is accepting Russian suitcases full of cash. It's much harder to send people to die, or stand firm in the face of blackmail from the Russian intelligence service. There's plenty of reasons someone might make a draft difficult, of varying quality.
It applies as much to Americans as to Ukrainians. Why do you think that policy has shifted so much to letting Russia stomp on its European neighborhood in the last few years?
It applies as much to Americans as to Ukrainians. Why do you think that policy has shifted so much to letting Russia stomp on its European neighborhood in the last few years?
With all that's going on, it's not surprising to me that after 2 years their hurting for volunteers. The political part is more surprising to me. I wonder how much reluctance for draft extensions...
With all that's going on, it's not surprising to me that after 2 years their hurting for volunteers. The political part is more surprising to me. I wonder how much reluctance for draft extensions are based on worries about General Syrskyi and Bakhmut.
Probably a problem made even more difficult given the disparity in artillery and shells - both in the amount available and their attritional effect on the battlefield.
Probably a problem made even more difficult given the disparity in artillery and shells - both in the amount available and their attritional effect on the battlefield.
From the article:
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So I guess that there's a certain segment of the party that is blocking aid that is happy about this and the other segment doesn't care about it even though two years ago the entire country was waving Ukraine flags?
Waving a flag is easy. So is accepting Russian suitcases full of cash. It's much harder to send people to die, or stand firm in the face of blackmail from the Russian intelligence service. There's plenty of reasons someone might make a draft difficult, of varying quality.
I'm talking about Americans.
It applies as much to Americans as to Ukrainians. Why do you think that policy has shifted so much to letting Russia stomp on its European neighborhood in the last few years?
With all that's going on, it's not surprising to me that after 2 years their hurting for volunteers. The political part is more surprising to me. I wonder how much reluctance for draft extensions are based on worries about General Syrskyi and Bakhmut.
Probably a problem made even more difficult given the disparity in artillery and shells - both in the amount available and their attritional effect on the battlefield.
Mirror, for those hit by the paywall:
https://archive.is/oYgmm