How is Ukraine facing the difficulties of mobilizing more of its soldiers?

At the beginning of the war, the number of the Ukrainian army reached 250,000 and reached about 400,000, with the participation of police and border forces (Reuters)

Kiev -

As the Russian war on Ukraine approaches its third year, there is a need for Kiev to mobilize more soldiers to face the growing challenges. Ukraine's newly appointed Chief of Staff, Oleksandr Sirsky, faces a difficult task in mobilizing more soldiers before embarking on the battle fronts.

At the beginning of the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the need to mobilize half a million soldiers, but this number faced difficulties in implementation, and raised widespread controversy and fears in society. Later, Zelensky retreated from this number, after the General Staff considered it "exaggerated." 

Military expert and colonel in the reserve forces, Oleg Zhdanov, told Al Jazeera Net, "We do not need half a million soldiers now. This number can be collected over the course of an entire year. The size of the mobilization depends on the nature of the battles."

With the scarcity of ammunition and the decline in Western support, Zhdanov believes that "the current need does not exceed 100,000 soldiers, or more than that if there are plans for new counter-offensive operations."

Ukraine is facing difficulties in mobilizing more soldiers as the war approaches its third year (Reuters)

How big are the losses?

With the beginning of the war, the number of the Ukrainian army reached 250 thousand, and reached about 400 thousand with the participation of police, border and volunteer forces. Today, after nearly two years, calls for mobilization raise questions about the extent of the losses suffered by these forces, while Kiev hides the numbers of dead and injured, and considers them “military secrets” that will not be revealed as long as the war continues.

Zhdanov says, "I am against this secrecy, because society must know, and will accept the authorities' clarity about these numbers. Mobilization is required, of course, because of the losses, and I believe that the numbers announced by the Economist newspaper are logical, with 70,000 dead and about 100,000 injured among the Ukrainian forces." Since the beginning of the war."

Why is Parliament unable?

If the losses are great and the need is so, why has Parliament been unable for months to pass a mobilization law, and why is the matter causing controversy and fear in the street?

According to expert Zhdanov, “Parliament’s inability is based on narrow partisan interests, as parties seek only to raise their popularity, by presenting their own laws and obstructing others, to market themselves as being most concerned with the interests of the people,” he said.

In the same speaker’s opinion, “Parliament is trying to invent the ‘wheel’ even though it already exists. We have in the constitution a law for mobilization, which may not be ideal, and may need some amendments, but it exists, and on its basis we must continue,” referring to the waves of mobilization in the spring. And summer, for all those between the ages of 18 and 25, and reservists up to 60 years of age.

Until the law was passed, it seems that recruitment centers have found ways to partially implement mobilization, which was evident in restricting travel during the recent period. “Checkpoints” were also used at the entrances to cities, in their neighborhoods, and in some public places.

The presence of checkpoints imposes a state of alertness and caution among young men and men, especially since they deliver summonses by hand to those of service age, and thus joining the army becomes inevitable.

This is not only what raises the fears of Ukrainians, but also the details of the proposed mobilization laws, which many see as inevitable, if they impose imprisonment on those who do not join the army, or fines amounting to 200 thousand hryvnias (about 5,200 dollars), and more for those who do not carry a He had the service document with him, in addition to the threat of preventing buying, selling and driving vehicles, and the possibility of closing bank accounts.

Military expert Oleg Zhdanov believes that Parliament’s inability to pass a mobilization law is due to narrow partisan interests (Reuters)

What does the street think?

The opinions of experts and concerned Ukrainians vary regarding these concerns and their solutions, and Al Jazeera Net surveyed a number of them in the streets of the capital, Kiev.

The young man, Mikula, says, “I and many others support mobilization if the government has a plan and clear goals, reality and not fiction, as we hear from time to time, specifying that the army needs a certain amount of new soldiers, to carry out certain tasks within a specific time frame.”

The young man, Yakin, says, “The army must be prepared for this mobilization by providing everything the soldiers need, so that they are not just human numbers, and end up as pictures and flags of remembrance in the streets and homes. The priority of the mobilization must be to gather those who have carried weapons and are proficient in using them. We all hope that "The authorities are making the right decision in this regard."

From the point of view of military expert Zhdanov, “The problem of mobilization laws in Ukraine is also the ‘lack of justice,’ which makes service compulsory for certain groups, and protects representatives, their families, and other powerful groups from it. Ukrainians reject this discrimination, and will not accept it,” he said.

Source: Al Jazeera