Tens of thousands had hoped to be demobilized after 36 months of service
FILE PHOTO: A Ukrainian soldier. © Scott Peterson / Getty Images
Ukrainian troops hoping to be demobilized after three years were in for a rude shock when the provision was left out of the newly adopted mobilization bill, multiple Western outlets reported on Friday.
The parliament in Kiev approved the long-debated law on Thursday but without the demobilization clause, reportedly at the urging of General Aleksandr Syrsky, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces. This means that everyone drafted into the armed forces will have to serve until the conflict is over.
“It’s a disaster,” AFP quoted a 46-year-old artilleryman on the Donetsk front, identified only as Alexander.
“When a person knows when he is going to be demobilized he will have a different attitude. If he is like a slave then it will not lead to anything good,” he added.
Soldier Yegor Firsov posted a rant about the new law on Facebook, arguing that the troops already in service have been “demotivated” by the last-minute change and feel “fooled and used.”
“It says our efforts are not appreciated,” Firsov wrote. His post was quoted in Politico’s EU edition, which noted the discontent among the “war-weary troops.”
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Ukraine has mobilized tens of thousands of troops since the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022. Kiev has struggled to keep frontline units above 35% strength, however, due to mounting casualties. President Vladimir Zelensky recently signed a law allowing the conscription of 25-year-olds, despite warnings of a possible demographic collapse.
Kiev’s military appears to have been the driving force behind removing the demobilization provision. A letter from Syrsky to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov urged him to leave the matter to a future bill, as the military could ill-afford losing tens of thousands of fighters come February 2025, according to the Guardian.
On Friday, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Dmitry Lazutkin confirmed that demobilization was excluded at Syrsky’s request and endorsed his judgment because he “understands the operational situation” and “the threats and risks facing the state,” the New York Times reported.
Lazutkin has previously admitted that the troops fighting since 2022 “are getting tired and exhausted,” but said that now was not the time for “hasty” decisions. The government will draft a separate bill on rotation and demobilization, he added, but this could take up to eight months.
If and when Zelensky signs the bill into law, it will force all men aged 18-60, including Ukrainian nationals residing outside the country, to register for conscription. Summons for mobilization would become automated and the punishments for defying them more severe, while local governments would be required to help with the process.
Kiev has not made public how many troops it intends to raise through the new measures. The Washington Post noted that the “unpopular” mobilization of hundreds of thousands “risks stoking panic.”
