Ukrainian officials work to keep troop mobilization strong

After 22 months of the all-out war against Russia, Ukraine lacks not only ammunition and long-range weapons, but also manpower.

Building reserves is one of the five key tasks for Ukraine’s military, General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi told The Economist last month. The authorities need to expand the categories of people who can be mobilized or called up to military training, he said.

During the martial law period, men between 18 and 60 years old are not allowed to leave the country, aside from a few exceptions. In the early days of the war hundreds of people, mostly men, queued at the military enlistment offices, demanding weapons and an opportunity to join the fighting.

But this year recruitment centers were shaken by a number of corruption and abuse-of power scandals. Some men paid for forged notes saying they are not eligible for service. Others find smugglers who help men to leave the country illegally. Some tried to cross the river on an inflatable mattress, the border service said. Another got lost in the mountains trying to cross the border with Romania.

Ukrainian soldiers train in a trench during Combined Arms Training in Wedrzyn, Poland, Dec. 7, 2023.

ABC News reviewed the content in a few channels on Telegram that offer men ways to leave the country. One of them also posted videos of men walking along the railway, with one saying he’d followed directions and was “in Moldova.”

The police said they are cracking down on draft-dodging. A group of alleged smugglers detained a month ago face up to 9 years in prison for illegal services, for which they’re said to charge from $1,500 to $50,000. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the police have opened more than 8,000 cases on draft dodging, their press service told ABC News.

What hampers men from joining the army is mostly uncertainty, fear of injuries and leaving family without money.

“I’m afraid of crazy commanders. I’m afraid I’ll be sent into assaults instead of doing what I learned to. I’m afraid of becoming a disabled person no one will care about,” Denys, an IT specialist from Kyiv, told ABC News. He said he preferred his last name not to be published.

Service members from recruitment centers have served summons right in fitness centers and restaurants, according to videos reviewed by ABC News. An official statement of the military enlistment office said that “the men in the fitness centers avoiding the draft are not privileged in comparison to those on the frontlines.”

Some people have said they see such moves as aggressive and think the ministry of defense need to build communication strategy instead.

A Ukrainian serviceman of the Ukrainian 92nd Ivan Sirko Separate Assault Brigade covers his ear during fire from a 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer toward Russian troops in a front line near the town of Bakhmut, Ukraine, Dec. 15, 2023.

“Everyone in Ukraine knows changes are needed in this sphere,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in one of his daily addresses. So the authorities started to implement new ways to enroll more people

First of all Minister Rustem Umerov approved the scheme of voluntary recruitment running until 2028. The ministry of defense began hiring people via civil job search platforms, including LobbyX and Work.ua. There are hundreds of positions listed, from stormtroopers to drivers.

“We want to provide an opportunity for units to recruit professional military personnel who have relevant experience in civilian life. This cooperation will make our military much more effective”. CEO of Work.ua Artur Mikhno said.

As of early December, around 45,000 people had applied to the jobs, Natalia Kalmykova, deputy defense minister, told ABC News.

Another way to join the army is to sign a contract.

Maksym Nagorny, a soldier of the 14th Mechanized Brigade did this last January, as soon as he turned 18.

“I’ve always loved the army. But what I saw is hell,” he told ABC News. “I was in Kupyansk, it’s not even the scariest place, unlike Bakhmut or others. But the guys go crazy. We need rotations.”

Clear terms of service is what many soldiers want indeed. Some haven’t had a break for a year and a half.

“Everyone is waiting for demobilization,” Nadiya Zamryga, press officer of the 14th Brigade operating in the Donetsk region, told ABC.

A Ukrainian soldier holds his position at the front line near the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Horlivka, Donetsk region, on Dec. 14, 2023.

Others are not ready to return into fighting after severe injuries.

“My husband has had enough. He had a head injury. He’s ‘fighting’ in his dreams every night, bed sheets turn wet under him after these nightmares,” Svitlana told ABC New, saying her husband Oleksandr serves in the military intelligence unit and she preferred to not use her full name.

“He lost almost all of his friends. His unit needs to be replaced. Instead his bosses are chasing him everywhere,” she said.

Activists, relatives and friends of the military staged multiple protests demanding demobilization.

“It should come along with the mobilization”, Roman Kostenko, an MP member of the national defence committee, said. “We can not pull the men from the frontline without substitution. These are connected complex processes.”

The government and the parliament are still working of the draft law about the mobilization. As for demobilization, the discussions are still underway.