Ukraine does not have enough new troops to send to the front

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Twenty-two months after the beginning of the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian army is struggling to find new recruits to send to the front, according to military officials.

“Our units are understaffed,” said Major Oleksandr Volkov, commander of a battalion of the 24th mechanised brigade. “We need young people, under 40, and motivated.”

This was exactly the advantage that Russia always had over Ukraine: more manpower, together with the willingness to send an indefinite number of men – be they prepared or not – to fight and die at the front.

According to 2023 data from Global Firepower, the Ukrainian army counted around 500,000 servicemen, 200,000 of which are active military personnel. By comparison, Russia has about four times more active military personnel – 1,330,900 men – and 250,000 reservists, the same as Ukraine.

“Today’s society has probably been misled by some media, claiming that everything is fine (for the Ukrainian army), that we are defeating the enemy and that victory will take place in the near future,” Volkov said. “But the current situation is not so simple. The enemy is really very strong, very powerful. And we do everything to hold him back and beat him.”

Despite significant losses in both men and equipment, Russia has resisted Ukraine’s counteroffensive this summer, and it’s currently feeling pretty confident about the war, as proven by Vladimir Putin’s recent comments on the conflict.

A lack of new, young recruits

While Ukraine continues fighting for its freedom and the integrity of its territory, the war is failing to attract recruits among civilians, Volkov and other officials said.

At the beginning of the war, “everything happened in adrenaline, in a sort of exaltation […] everyone rushed to fight and there was no problem,” Lieutenant Igor Prokopiak, a company commander, said. “But over time, it calmed down. People had access to social networks, they saw the terrible, cruel side of the war. This initial adrenaline wore off, the brain woke up, fear appeared and, as a result, people began to fear for their lives.”

Officials have noticed that the average age of soldiers at the front has increased, with Volkov saying that 40% of his unit is aged 45 and above. Those who have been at the front for two years are exhausted, though they have not been replaced for lack of new troops.

In late November, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the country will reform conscription practices through collaboration with commercial recruitment companies in an effort to bolster its fighting force.

Paris and London promise unfaltering support

The UK and France will support Ukraine for “as long as necessary,” British foreign minister David Cameron said on Tuesday during a joint conference with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna.

“I have no doubt that Putin will lose (the war) and it’s essential that he loses.”

“The first act was Russia’s stunning failure to achieve its goals. The second act was the resounding resistance of the Ukrainians who pushed back the Russians. And of course the third act is more difficult,” Cameron said. “The fourth act remains to be written and we must ensure that it is written in the right way,” he added.

“Our two countries, hand in hand since the beginning, are working together to ensure that Russian aggression cannot be rewarded,” declared Catherine Colonna.

“We hope that this co-operation can be further strengthened,” she added. ‘The fate of Ukraine is obviously at stake, but also the security of the European continent.”

The continued support of Ukraine’s allies is considered crucial for the country’s capacity to continue battling against the Russian invasion. Further financial and military aid from the US is currently blocked in Congress, while last week Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban blocked an EU aid package for Kyiv.