KIEV Abandoned pioneer center near Kiev. Motifs of socialist art can be recognized from the mosaics on the exterior walls of the buildings.
Instead of children’s laughter, the screams heard in war ring out in the area today. From January 2022, the training center of the city of Kyiv has operated here, where civilians are taught basic military skills.
One of the course participants is from Kyiv working in sales Roma. He had already taken the basic medical skills course and the airplane online course. Now he longed to practice other skills needed in war.
For the five-day defense course, Roman took time off from work.
– I wanted to spend an active holiday. I can’t go abroad, traveling in Ukraine didn’t appeal, so I was looking for something useful.
Useful also turned out to be demanding and exhausting. Romania surprised that there was no idle time or quiet moment during the five days, when all skills had to be practiced in field conditions.
– I imagined that on the second day, half would miss the course. But no one dropped out, everyone stayed motivated until the last day.
The course is important for future mobilisers
The courses last from one to five days and include a medical skills section and the basics of flying drones. They are free for participants.
Last year, 20,000 people attended the courses, in the first three months of this year already 6,000.
– The age range of the students is from 18 to over 60 years. Many enroll in advanced courses after the basic course, says the director of the center Serhii Chernyshev.
Although the courses are not actually intended for future soldiers, for many applying for the army they become their first contact with military conditions.
– There have been cases where a person has taken a few courses with us and then decided to join the armed forces to fight independently, says Chernyshev.
The 30-year-old Roman has not yet received an invitation letter, but he does not rule out the possibility of joining the army in the future.
– We don’t know what to be ready for here. That’s why you need to know how the army works, Roman thinks.
According to the man, such defense courses are also a good way to take responsibility for one’s destiny into one’s own hands.
– In my opinion, every reasonable citizen understands the general situation and does not wait to be caught and taken to the army, but does something himself and prepares somehow.
Often concerned with lame education
Taking the reins into one’s own hands is the basic idea of the extensive outdoor advertising campaign, which has been visible on the streets of Kyiv and other cities for the second month.
In posters and videos, Ukrainian military units advertise independent enlistment in the ranks of the armed forces. At least the 3rd separate assault brigade of Ukraine, Da Vinci’s wolves battalion and the 13th operational brigade of the national guard Hartija are included.
Da Vinci’s Wolves advertising slogan reads “Everyone has to go to war”. Instead, Hartija’s advertisement attracts potential soldiers with 60 days of military training before service.
The level of education has been a concern of many who join the army. Roman believes that the training provided by the mobilization may be insufficient.
– It’s a state-level problem. When you don’t know which unit you will end up in, you also don’t know how and for how long you will be trained there.
This was one of the reasons why Roman applied for the free defense course. A similar message has also reached the ears of the director of the training center.
– Those who had taken our course before joining the armed forces say that the lessons we learned help them fight better and keep themselves and their fellow soldiers alive, assures Serhii Chernyshev.
The solution is the mediation of military work
In Kyiv, a kind of roof project called Lobbyx also advertises itself spectacularly. Its idea and even its appearance is similar to that of familiar employment or recruitment companies.
The various units and agencies of the army publish job notices on the project’s website with descriptions of the jobs being applied for. Based on the notifications, users can find a target in the armed forces that suits them.
If they are mobilized by force, the opportunities to influence their own investment are limited. That’s why, for many people of draft age, Lobbyx is a solution to avoid being at the front and apply for positions in the background.
– Of course, no one can guarantee that the situation will not develop into one where everyone’s contribution is needed at the front. But at least so far, the aim of the application notices has not been to recruit infantry in the trenches under the guise of other tasks, says the founder of Lobbyx Vladyslav Hrezev.
The project has existed since May 2022, but at the beginning, according to Herezev, it was difficult to explain its necessity to the military leadership. Their concern was, for example, the disclosure of military secrets.
– But we do not reveal the total number of tasks. There can be several jobs behind one advertisement. The announcements also do not include the location of the jobs, Hrezev says.
Now the project has an official contract with the Ministry of Defense. The website has the most job advertisements for infantry and medical positions. However, other types of tasks are the most sought after.
– They are mostly applied for staff positions, drone pilots, press secretaries and intelligence. Infantry missions are only in 10th place, says Hrezev.
Mobilization is a hot topic in Ukraine
The new mobilization law entered into force last Saturday. It was approved in April after much wrangling and public debate.
With the help of the new law, Ukraine plans to recruit hundreds of thousands of new soldiers, including from Ukrainians abroad. At the end of April, Ukraine stopped issuing identity cards to men of draft age abroad.
The Lobbyx rectification project works in practice as an alternative to forced mobilization. That is why the law has increased interest in the project.
– When the discussions around the law started, we noticed a wave of activity. People began to lean towards conscious choice and control this process themselves.
Hrezev says that even those who have been mobilized can look for a possible transfer position on the Lobbyx website, but it is more difficult to get a transfer than to immediately apply to the unit they want.