According to the people of Kyiv, it is pointless to recruit more soldiers if Ukraine does not have enough weapons. The country’s army has proposed the deployment of half a million reservists.
More and more of Ukraine’s youth may end up in the war if the motion is implemented.
Nowadays, Ukrainian men under the age of 27 have been able to decide for themselves whether they want to volunteer for the army.
Now the Ukrainian armed forces want half a million more soldiers. At the same time, the minimum age limit for recruits may be lowered.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi says he is ready to lower the minimum age to 25 years if there are good grounds for the decision. That would be a change from before.
– In Ukraine, it has been underlined that young people should be spared from war, says the docent of military sciences Ilmari Käihkö.
The thinking has been the opposite of, for example, in the Finnish wars, where specifically young people were sent to war. The decision was supported by the young people’s familylessness and hard condition.
– On the other hand, it can be thought that young people have the future and they need to be saved, Käihkö says.
The average age of Ukrainian soldiers at the front is 43 years.
Käihkö emphasizes that there is an everyday reason behind it. At the beginning of the war, the older generations also had the most people who had the necessary skills and previous experience in warfare.
“You have to ask what the alternative would be”
Ukraine is in a situation where more soldiers are needed. The Ukrainian army is estimated to have around 600,000 soldiers. Some of them have been defending their country at the front for almost two years already. Supplements do not come as people get injured.
– Ukraine has to think about what means to continue this war, says Käihkö.
According to Käihkö, the importance of large-scale recruitment must be considered by considering Ukraine’s options. What would happen if we don’t get more soldiers?
As the war continues, more and more Ukrainians have recognized that what is at hand is not a quick defensive battle but a long war.
– Ukrainians must be prepared for the fact that if and when they want to defend their country, it will require greater sacrifices than have been made now, says Käihkö.
According to Käihkö, it is also about foreign policy.
Recruitment plans tell other countries that Ukraine is not about to surrender even though the situation on the front is dire.
– If Ukraine recruits half a million soldiers, it will challenge the countries that have promised to stand by Ukraine’s side, says Käihkö.
The launch divides the opinions of Ukrainians
According to Käihkö, launching a movement would hardly change the course of the war. Rather, it is about Ukraine being able to continue fighting against Russian aggression.
Even now, the recruitments divide the opinions of Ukrainians. Some think that the country should focus all its forces on fighting, while others would like to be able to live a normal life despite the war.
Volunteers still go to the front, on the other hand, recruiters raid public places so they can hand out recruitment letters.
If the movement launched by 500,000 people is realized, it will divide the nation even more.
– The big question is how people accept the decision: by being relieved, submitting to it or opposing it. Probably everyone, Käihkö predicts.
The decision to launch the business has not yet been made. According to Zelensky, this is a very sensitive matter, and he wants the government and the army to discuss it further. After that, the proposal is discussed in the country’s parliament.
Read here the latest news about the Russian invasion