Both sides of the war in Ukraine are suffering from huge **, but Ukraine, which has less personnel potential than Russia and values the lives of its citizens more, is obviously a problem with how to recruit excellent recruits.
The backgrounds of the recruits vary, but one thing is the same: after receiving basic training in Western Europe, none of them expected to be deployed to assault units in the hottest areas of the Ukrainian front.
Some signed up voluntarily in the hope of finding a place in the unit that suited them: drone operators or artillerymen. Others were recruited from the village without warning. There was an older recruit who didn't even have a chance to take his dentures.
After less than a week in the trenches of Donbass in eastern Ukraine, the full platoon of 20 people was reduced by 6 people. Three people were killed and three were seriously wounded.
It sounds like the worst conscription story, but it doesn't seem to be an isolated piece of evidence. Ukraine is desperately trying to plug the holes in the front line and defend itself against Russia's unscrupulous attack. No army can assure recruits that they will be deployed to **, let alone in wartime, and assault brigades are one of the most desperate units.
However, it is called by the lawyers"Deployment lottery", but the recruitment process has made the recruitment process difficult. Military leaders are trying to recruit those who want to do so, and some are resorting to surprise conscription in gyms and shopping malls.
A person who enlists in this way rarely becomes a good soldier. A senior military officer complained"We all see people between the ages of 45 and 47. They arrived at the front line already out of breath"。
Recognizing this problem, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine began developing a new mobilization strategy in September. Defense Ministry spokesman Ilyarion Pavlyuk said part of the problem lies in the successes achieved on the battlefield: many citizens no longer see war from an existential perspective as they did after the Russian invasion in February 2022.
He said:"Some people feel like there's someone else who can do it for them. "
The aim of the reform is to provide more options for those who are vacillating: new recruits can more or less sign up for a particular position. The new digital register will improve the understanding of human resources in Ukraine. The rest and rotation system will be clearer.
Ultimately, the mobilization of volunteers will be time-bound, not indefinite, as is the case now.
There are several examples of successful recruitment of volunteers. The 3rd Assault Brigade, an offshoot of Ukraine's special forces, formed nine months after the start of the war, is perhaps the most notable one. Advertisements the size of skyscrapers in major Ukrainian cities glorify life as part of a brigade commando, complete with orc-like cartoons.
However, it is equally important that the brigade has a reputation for being well-commanded, well-equipped and with a low attrition rate. Unlike standard one-month training, recruits typically undergo several months of training.
Brigade spokeswoman Hristina Bondarenko said they have no shortage of volunteers, and by the beginning of next year, the brigade will be the largest unit in Ukraine, about the size of a NATO division (the Ukrainian army does not have divisional strengths).
Most recruits are under the age of 25, and she rejects 150 applications from minors each month. She said"No one said that there were millions of people waiting to go to Avdiivka to fight. But there are some you can work with. "
It is also difficult for Russia to mobilize the required numbers. Russia's tactic, which is to throw large numbers of men at fortified positions without proper equipment, means that losses can be as high as 1000 per day. But from a fundamental point of view, Ukraine faces a greater challenge, after all, Russia has four times the potential military resources of Ukraine, Russia has an advantage in the long run, and in Russia's prisons and poorest areas, joining the army looks logical.
Elsewhere, the Kremlin met minimum needs through secret conscription in response to a full-scale war that was still pretended not to take place. If there is a real need to strengthen mobilization, the Kremlin will have to admit that Russia is at war, and this will not be without political consequences.
At the same time, the critics of Kiev, Ukraine, accuse ** only in"Pretend to be mobilized"。Viktor Kevlyuk is a retired colonel who oversaw the implementation of mobilization policies in the western half of Ukraine from 2014 (Russia's first invasion of Ukraine) until 2021. In his opinion, Russia will intensify mobilization after the end of the ** elections in March.
Ukrainian military intelligence"Hull"This view is also agreed.
Putin has already signed a decree to increase the size of the Russian armed forces by 170,000. Colonel Kevlyuk believes that Ukraine must mobilize industry, ** and resources throughout the country to respond. He believes that those who enjoy a safe life in Kiev often have a decadent lifestyle that must be changed"This is not the time to import smoked salmon"。
Throughout the war, Zelensky has been resisting extremist demands from the military, much to their chagrin. For example, his top generals have pushed for a lower enlistment age for non-reservists, which is now 27. It was also suggested that the mobilization law should be more strictly enforced.
Zelensky hit back partly for political reasons: he did not want to irritate the population unnecessarily. But he did also do it out of higher considerations. A ** high-level person said"Zelensky wants to do the right thing for the Ukrainians. He doesn't want to be a **"。
Difficult decisions lie ahead. For Colonel Kevlyuk, the army is a beast that must be fed. He said:"We have no choice but to be bloodthirsty. "
But some** prefer a more consensual approach. The high-ranking person** will trumpet the spirit of national sacrifice and warn that Russia will continue to pose an existential threat to it. He said:"If we lose, it's not good for all of us. "
The task is to convince potential recruits. "conductor"One of the ill-fated forces deployed in the Donbass, he said he was committed to serving his country"But only in a useful way"。
At the same time, he is"Around the clock"Efforts were made to obtain the transfer of assault units. He said:"You can't just write off people's lives. "