26-12-2023 (KYIV) A draft law, disclosed on the website of Ukraine’s parliament late on Monday (Dec 25), has proposed reducing the age threshold for military mobilisation from 27 to 25. This potential change in legislation emerges against the backdrop of Ukraine’s enduring 22-month battle against Russia.
As tensions between Ukraine and Russia escalated over the weekend, with both nations exchanging claims about downed military aircraft, Monday saw Ukraine refuting Russia’s assertion that its forces had seized the regional centre Maryinka in eastern Ukraine.
The draft text outlines the criteria for Ukrainian citizens subject to military conscription, specifying that it would now encompass individuals “who have reached the age of 25”. An explanatory note, endorsed by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, summarized key provisions of the draft law, highlighting the “change of conscription age from 27 to 25 years”.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his end-of-year news conference on Dec 19, mentioned that the military had proposed mobilising an additional 450,000 to 500,000 Ukrainians. However, he emphasized that it was a “highly sensitive” matter requiring thorough discussion between the military and government before any proposal reached parliament.
Zelenskyy, yet to publicly endorse the proposal, stressed the need for more arguments in favor of mobilising additional individuals. He acknowledged the gravity of the proposed numbers, stating, “This is a very serious number.”
While the exact size of Ukraine’s troop numbers remains undisclosed, estimates suggest the country has around 1 million people under arms. US officials estimate that hundreds of thousands have been killed and wounded since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Notably, neither country publishes its casualty figures.
David Arakhamia, the head of Zelenskiy’s party in parliament, affirmed that the government was addressing the bill at the military’s request and was set to introduce it on Monday. In a Telegram post earlier on the same day, he noted, “The military needs a solution to its problems. Society wants to hear answers to all sensitive questions.”
