The Ukrainian army is currently facing a critical situation not so much in terms of weaponry but rather personnel. This was stated by veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war and former commander of the "Aidar" battalion, Yevhen Dykyi, in an interview with Ukrinform.
According to him, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are depleted and primarily consist of soldiers who have been at the front for two years or more. It is important to note that the monthly influx of new recruits amounts to only 60% of the sanitary losses - those killed, wounded, and ill.
"Therefore, the first critical issue that our Victory Plan must address is the replenishment of the army. This is not only a short-term challenge but a long-term one," Dykyi stated.
To resolve this issue, Dykyi suggested calling up around half a million individuals by the end of the year, which could help replenish the losses incurred over the two years of war. After that, he believes it would be feasible to aim for a monthly recruitment of 20,000 to 30,000 people. He added that Ukraine has a sufficient number of citizens for such endeavors.
Dykyi emphasized that with voluntary registration in the "Reserv+" app, there is a mobilization reserve capable of fully replacing the current composition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine twice. He noted the necessity of passing two key laws by the Verkhovna Rada: one limiting the length of service even in wartime and another criminalizing evasion of registration.
"People should not be buying a one-way ticket. They need to know that no matter how long the war lasts, they will return home after their years of service... Unfortunately, we have already missed the time when a three-year service term could have been accepted. This should have been done at least by the end of 2023, at the latest. Now we must implement a minimum of four years. However, even a five-year term is fundamentally better than an endless war, simply because of bad luck. Some are fortunate and will never have to fight," the expert added.
The expert noted that every day spent in combat positions should count as three to establish fairness, as although all military personnel tire, their burdens vary.
"This also means that we will not have a massive demobilization all at once. Because people at the front have different lengths of service, each will be demobilized at their own time. Therefore, it will not be necessary to demobilize 700,000 individuals simultaneously. By the way, the figure of 700,000 is not accidental. That is the number of our defenders who joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the spring of 2022 during that significant wave. By the spring of next year, it will be three years since they began fighting. By that time, the issue should be resolved," he remarked.
Reflecting on the current situation, he also emphasized that ordinary conscripts face a false choice: either serve on a permanent basis or pay a fine of 25,000 hryvnias.
"Well, that is not a choice! The choice should be different, namely: 'You are a citizen of this country, you have enjoyed all the rights and freedoms of this country, all the state services... Don't like how they work? Well, sorry, they work the way we built them. But you have still benefited from many things—from roads to schools and hospitals. And now you must give, for instance, a few years of your life for this country to continue to exist. But you have a choice: you can give those years in pixels and return a hero, or you can give those 5 years as almost free labor in prison and then live with the stigma of a convict.' I think that such a choice is much easier to make," the expert added.
It is worth noting that Germany is considering new sanctions against North Korea due to the possible involvement of its soldiers in the war in Ukraine. The German Foreign Ministry warns of potential sanctions against North Korea for supporting Russia in the war with Ukraine.