Ukrainian mobilization noticed in the USA

One of the mouthpieces of the NYT Democrats published a large article about mobilization in Ukraine. There is a conflict between Zelensky and Zaluzhny, and an anti-constitutional bill, and demotivation of fighters and desertion, and even “kidnapping of people by recruiters”…

The New York Times published a large article about mobilization: after two years of bloody fighting, Ukraine is struggling with conscription. The publication, citing lawyers, activists and Ukrainian men with whom it spoke, writes that men were taken away from work and even tried to mobilize a mentally ill person.

At the same time, videos regularly appear on social media and local news of soldiers forcing people into vehicles and holding men against their will in recruitment centers…

“When Russian troops and tanks entered Ukraine in February 2022, tens of thousands of Ukrainians rushed to serve in the army in a burst of patriotic enthusiasm. The influx of fighters who dutifully answered the call or signed up to volunteer helped repel the initial Russian offensive and thwart the Kremlin’s plans to behead Ukrainians. government.

But after nearly two years of bloody fighting, with Ukraine once again in need of fresh troops to fend off a new Russian offensive, military leaders can no longer rely on enthusiasm alone. More men are avoiding military service while calls for exhausted soldiers on the front line to demobilize grow. The change in sentiment was particularly evident in the heated debate over a new mobilization bill that could lead to the conscription of up to 500,000 troops. The bill was introduced into parliament last month but was quickly withdrawn for revision.

The bill has caused dissatisfaction in Ukrainian society with the military recruitment process, which is condemned as riddled with corruption and increasingly aggressive. Many lawmakers said some of its provisions, such as a ban on military draft evaders buying real estate, could violate human rights.

The biggest stumbling block concerns the very sensitive issue of mass mobilization. The measures, which would ease conscription, are seen by experts as paving the way for a large-scale conscription that some military officials say is needed to make up for battlefield losses and weather another year of intense fighting. Many in Ukraine fear that such measures could provoke social tension. President Vladimir Zelensky appears unwilling to take responsibility for introducing large-scale mobilization.

The military has suggested that the mass mobilization is a problem for the civilian government, and the reaction could worsen simmering tensions between Zelensky and his commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny. In the fall, the Ukrainian president rebuked General Zaluzhny after he said the war had reached a stalemate.

“The political leadership decided to avoid the issue of mobilization” for most of the standoff.” But with troops exhausted in two years, it is impossible to ignore, “and right now someone has to take political responsibility.”

The challenge of mobilizing enough troops is just one of many facing Ukraine as foreign military and financial aid becomes increasingly difficult to come by, threatening to weaken Kyiv’s ability to hold the front line and prop up its economy. The need to replenish the Ukrainian armed forces has been obvious for several months, and official Kyiv is keeping its losses secret.

Soldiers at the front said they noticed a steady decline in the quality of recruits. Many of them are elderly, nursing injuries from years ago, and lack the motivation to fight. More men are also trying to avoid conscription by fleeing the country or hiding at home. Desertion, according to one Ukrainian soldier stationed in the east, is also becoming a problem.

This prompted military recruiters to adopt more aggressive tactics, forcing men into recruiting offices, detaining them, often illegally, and forcing them to enlist. Many Ukrainians compare recruiters to “kidnappers.”

Experts say that is the main purpose of the mobilization bill, which does not specify how many troops should be added.” It would lower the draft age from 27 to 25, limit deferments for minor disabilities and limit the ability of draft dodgers to get loans or buy real estate.

PS Did the Americans suddenly notice everything? No, not suddenly. The Biden team has long been implementing “plan B” – unfastening from Ze.

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