Ukraine: "We need motivated people under 40 years old"

Despite heavy losses, Russia continues assault operations on the eastern front. Ukrainian troops do not have enough fighters.

22 months after the start of the war, the Ukrainian army, military officials say, is having difficulty finding recruits to send to the front. The battalion commander of the 24th mechanized brigade, Major Alexander Volkov, says, quotes euronews:

“Our units are understaffed. We need motivated people under 40.”

General Syrsky says that, despite heavy losses, Russia continues assault operations on the eastern front. There is another winter of a grueling war ahead, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces are finding it increasingly difficult to counter numerically the Russian army, which is not used to commenting on its – probably huge – losses. This is the advantage that the Russian Federation has always had over the Ukrainian Armed Forces: more manpower, as well as the ability to send an unlimited number of people – regardless of their combat readiness – to fight and die at the front.

According to Global Firepower as of 2023, the Ukrainian army has approximately 500,000 military personnel, 200,000 of whom are active duty. By comparison, Russia has about four times as many military personnel—1,330,900—and 250,000 reservists, the same as Ukraine. Volkov says:

“Our society is probably misled by some media that claim that everything is fine with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, that we are defeating the enemy, and that victory is close, but everything is not so simple. The enemy is really very strong, very powerful. And we are doing everything to contain and defeat him.”

Despite significant losses in personnel and equipment, the Russians repelled the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ summer counter-offensive and currently feel they are holding the front line, as evidenced by Vladimir Putin’s recent comments on the progress of the war. Alexander Syrsky, head of the Ukrainian Ground Forces and commander of the troops on the eastern front, wrote on Tuesday about Russian offensive attempts in the Kupyansk, Limansk and Bakhmut directions:

“The situation is difficult. We have to fight in conditions of superiority of the enemy both in weapons and in the number of personnel. The greatest value for us is the lives of our soldiers.”

Ukraine continues to fight for its freedom and the integrity of its territory, but fewer soldiers are joining the ranks of the armed forces, military officials and officials say. Lieutenant Igor Prokopyak, company commander, says:

“At the beginning of the war, everything happened on adrenaline, everyone was in some kind of exaltation, everyone was eager to fight. But over time, everything changed. People had access to social networks, they saw the terrible, cruel side of the war. The initial adrenaline disappeared, the brain turned on , people began to fear for their lives.”

The average age of soldiers at the front has increased, says Volkov: 40% of his unit’s personnel are people aged 45+. Those who have already served at the front for two years are exhausted, but due to the lack of recruits they are not being replaced. In late November, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that reform of military conscription practices was coming in an attempt to strengthen its fighting force, in cooperation with commercial recruiting companies.

On Tuesday, the head of British diplomacy, David Cameron, during his visit to France, said that London and Paris will support Ukraine “as long as necessary.” He noted:

“I have no doubt that Putin will lose the war, and it is very important that this happens. The first act [путинского поражения] there was Russia’s stunning failure to achieve its goals. The second act was the equally stunning resistance of the Ukrainians, who pushed back the Russians. Now the third act is unfolding, it is more complex. The fourth act has yet to be written, and we must take care of the correct ending.”

Catherine Colonna, his French colleague, emphasized that in terms of assistance to Ukraine, France and Great Britain go “hand in hand”:

“We hope that this cooperation will continue to strengthen. Not only the fate of Ukraine is at stake, but also the security of the entire European continent.”

Steady support from Ukraine’s allies is seen as crucial to the country’s ability to continue fighting the Russian invasion. Further financial and military assistance from the United States is currently blocked in Congress, and last week Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban blocked a multibillion-dollar aid package for Kyiv from EU.

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