Fierce debate over plan to mobilize half a million soldiers in Ukraine

In the first months after Russia sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022, a wave of patriotism rose in Ukraine and many of its citizens volunteered to fight. But the brutal reality on the battlefield over the past nearly two years has now led to fierce debate over the Kyiv government's latest military mobilization plan.

Sensitive issue

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last month that the country’s military wanted to mobilize 500,000 more troops to fight the estimated 600,000 Russian troops deployed in Ukraine. However, he said he needed to hear from many before making a decision, as the topic has become highly sensitive amid Kyiv’s half-year offensive that has failed to produce the expected results and a population increasingly worn down by the conflict.

Ukraine's commander-in-chief calls on lawmakers to volunteer for war

Ukraine has about 850,000 soldiers in its ranks and does not disclose its casualties or the number of soldiers deployed on the front. However, the most recent US estimate published by The New York Times in August last year put the death toll at nearly 70,000 and the number of wounded at 120,000.

The spirit of volunteering to fight in Ukraine during the first months of the war has disappeared. Meanwhile, stories of soldiers trying to desert appear more frequently in the Ukrainian media.

Following Mr Zelensky’s announcement, the Ukrainian government submitted a bill to parliament that would lower the conscription age from 27 to 25, as well as simplify the process of enlisting. While the bill would reduce the length of mandatory wartime service – from indefinite to 36 months – it would also introduce new penalties for draft dodgers, such as restrictions on their driving licenses.

Ukrainian soldiers take part in frontline training in the east of the country in December 2023

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, warned that increasing the penalties would cause problems. "We cannot get to the point where, while fighting Russia, we turn into something similar to Russia, where the law is no longer valid and the constitution is just a piece of paper," Lubinets told AFP.

The military mobilization plan has caused divisions in society. "Personally, I am against harsh punishments like confiscation of property," AFP quoted Olena, a 42-year-old resident.

Following the backlash, some Ukrainian lawmakers and President Zelensky have assured that the bill's content will be debated and amended.

Ukraine fears running out of replacement troops as conflict drags on

A defense committee of the Ukrainian parliament began reviewing and discussing the military mobilization plan behind closed doors on January 4. The committee includes the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Valery Zaluzhny, and the country's defense minister, Rustem Umerov.

"War is for poor people"

The proposed changes to the draft have sparked an outcry on Ukrainian social media, with many people offering ideas on how best to mobilize the military.

Ukrainian soldiers fire a howitzer near the city of Bakhmut in December 2023

Ruling party lawmaker Mariana Bezugla proposed a solution of paying a large sum of money into the state budget to be exempted from conscription.

“As for those who don’t have money, let them scream in the trenches and let their children become orphans…”, one person commented on Ms. Bezugla’s Facebook page.

“War is for poor people,” wrote another.

Former Ukrainian Economy Minister Tymofy Mylovanov proposed a lottery-style mobilization idea, reminiscent of the way the US government selected people to go to Vietnam during the war half a century ago.

"The state randomly selects a day and a month. People born on those days are mobilized to join the army," he said.

“A madhouse,” said prominent lawyer and activist Larysa Denysenko, calling the proposals “extremely harmful.”

Some called for rotating troops and allowing those who had been on the front lines for a long time to be discharged.

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“If this is a matter of national security, then everyone, every citizen, should participate,” said Lyudmyla, a 50-year-old teacher.

"My husband has been fighting since February 28. My son-in-law is on the battlefield. Why do some people have to fight and others don't?" she asked.

Others want measures to encourage Ukrainians abroad to return home and fight.

“There can be no justice in this carnage,” said writer Artem Chekh, who joined the Ukrainian army as a volunteer.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/tranh-cai-kich-liet-ve-ke-hoach-dong-vien-nua-trieu-binh-si-o-ukraine-185240106141538731.htm