Approximately two million Ukrainian men are targeted by authorities for evading mobilization, and over 200,000 have deserted after enlisting in the army, according to data presented Wednesday in front of the parliament by Mihailo Fedorov, during his inauguration speech as head of the Ministry of Defense.
These figures highlight the extent of a problem that partly explains the personnel shortage that makes the Ukrainian armed forces vulnerable in certain front-line areas, writes Agerpres.
Ukrainian men aged between 25 and 60 years are required to register in order to be called to arms. Some men in this age category avoid doing so, exposing themselves to the risk of being caught on the street by recruiter patrols, penalized, and sent to the front.
At the first meeting with Fedorov after his appointment as head of the Ministry of Defense, Zelenski tasked him to find “systemic solutions” to the existing problems in recruitment centers, which have been accused of abuses and corruption. The Ukrainian president ordered the new minister to take measures and to ensure a “more equitable distribution of personnel among the front-line brigades”.
In December, the head of the Ukrainian army, Oleksandr Sîrski, stated that Ukraine will focus on strengthening the army through better mobilization, recruitment, and high-quality training, as it continues to resist Russia’s large-scale invasion.
The measures came amid intense scrutiny of Ukraine’s military leadership in the context of the ongoing Russian offensive, as the country also faces issues regarding mobilization and a severe personnel shortage felt acutely at the front line as the fourth year of large-scale war approaches.
