President Volodymyr Zelensky defended Ukraine's mobilization efforts in an interview with the Italian news outlet Il Foglio on Jan. 25, saying that the quickest way to bring soldiers home was to mobilize enough servicemembers to force Russia to end the war.
Ukraine has struggled with manpower issues throughout Russia's full-scale invasion. An updated mobilization law passed in April 2024 aimed to address these difficulties, simplifying the process for identifying eligible conscripts and introducing penalties for draft dodgers.
Mobilization slowed last autumn despite the legislative reforms, leaving depleted front-line units to face Russia's eastern advance.
"(M)artial law, it provides for the mobilization of people, and all the resources that are in the country. Absolutely everyone," Zelensky said in a video of the interview published by the Presidential Office on Jan. 27.
"And that, unfortunately, is the challenge of this war, and why we need to maximize the speed to end it. To force Russia to end this war."
Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are barred from leaving the country under martial law, but only those over 25 are eligible for the draft. The government is currently finalizing reforms to recruit 18- to 25-year-olds, aiming to make voluntary enlistment more appealing to younger citizens.
"We are defending ourselves today," Zelensky said.
"If tomorrow, for example, half of the army just goes home, then we should have surrendered on the first day. That's the way it is. Because if half the people go home tomorrow, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will kill us all."
While Zelensky said the best way to bring soldiers home was to force Russia to end the war, he acknowledged that the Armed Forces require better policies on rotating and relieving personnel.
"They have rotations, or vacations. But certainly it is not enough," he said.
"Certainly we need to work on the quality of that."
Russian forces significantly outnumber Ukrainian units in some parts of the front and have been able to gain territory in eastern Ukraine while absorbing heavy losses.
Ukrainian authorities have faced criticism for aggressive forced mobilization tactics and for reportedly transferring skilled Air Force personnel into infantry units. At the same time, Zelensky has refused to lower the draft age to 18 despite increasing U.S. pressure to do so.
Illia Krotenko
Independent journalism needs a community —
not a paywall.
We’re working hard to show the world the truth of Russia’s brutal war — and we’re keeping it free for everyone, because reliable information should be available to all.
Our goal: reach 20,000 members to prove independent journalism can survive without paywalls, billionaires, or compromise. Will you help us do it?
(Updated: )
