After a new mobilization law in Ukraine came into effect in late-May, the number of soldiers enlisted has increased, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference in Stockholm on May 31.
Ukraine's parliament adopted an updated mobilization law in mid-April in order to ramp up mobilization amid Russia's ongoing war. The new law simplifies the process for identifying eligible conscripts and included additional penalties for those dodging the draft.
Another law, signed by the president just before the mobilization law was passed, lowered the minimum age of compulsory military service from 27 to 25.
Speaking to the press conference, Zelensky said that the country has "never stopped mobilizing" since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, but that mobilization "has increased" after the law came into effect.
The president did not provide any figures as to how many new conscripts had been mobilized.
According to the law, all military-aged men, with some exceptions, must update their military documents within 60 days from May 18 at public service centers and enlistment offices, or via the online application Rezerv+. Over 1 million men have updated military documents through the application as of May 31.
“Technologically, everyone can register today... This does not mean that all these people will be mobilized,” Zelensky added.
Moscow's troops launched a new offensive into northeastern Kharkiv Oblast through the Russo-Ukrainian border on May 10, which has reportedly been halted by the first line of defense.
Russia is also forming another grouping of forces near Ukraine's northern border, according to Zelensky. The Ukrainian military did not rule out a similar Russian offensive in Sumy Oblast.
Dinara Khalilova
(Updated: )
