The losses are high, many fighters are exhausted: the Ukrainian army needs more soldiers. For the president, the question of mobilization is a “sensitive one.” Now Defense Minister Umyerov wants to bring men back from abroad.
The Ukrainian army is running out of soldiers. In the search for more military servicemen, the new Defense Minister Rustem Umjerov is considering drafting Ukrainian men living abroad. Ukrainians of military age between 25 and 60 in Germany and other countries should be asked to report to the armed forces recruiting centers. Umjerow announced this in an interview with “Bild”, Welt TV and “Politico”.
The minister spoke of an invitation. However, he made it clear that there would be sanctions if someone did not follow the request. “We are still discussing what will happen if they don’t come voluntarily,” he said.
Military: Need up to 500,000 more soldiers
The Ukrainian military wants to mobilize 450,000 to 500,000 more soldiers to repel the Russian invasion. However, the financial and political framework conditions have not yet been clarified. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the mobilization a “very sensitive issue.”
Umjerov said that justice is important. In the future, it should be clear to those affected in advance how they would be trained and equipped, where and when they would serve and when they would be released.
Escape and bribes
Thousands of Ukrainian men are trying to avoid military service by fleeing abroad. Controls at the borders are strict, with officials searching cars and tearing up panels on trains. Men are repeatedly picked up at the green border. There are also many known cases in which conscripts at muster offices use bribes to buy their way out of service.