Key developments on April 3: * Zelensky: Russia preparing to mobilize additional 300,000 troops by June * Ukraine, Finland sign long-term security agreement * Zelensky: Russia launched over 4,000 missiles, Shahed drones, guided aerial bombs on Ukraine in March * Military intelligence: Russia has roughly 200 Su-34, Su-35 jets, 7 A-50 planes
Russia is preparing to mobilize an additional 300,000 soldiers by June 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 3 in Kyiv during a joint press conference with his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
Key developments on April 2: * Ukraine hits drone factory, oil refinery in Russia's Tatarstan * Zelensky signs several laws on mobilization, making younger men eligible for draft * Putin appoints new Black Sea Fleet commander * Russia's missile attack against Dnipro injures 18, including 5 children * Government allocates additional $144 million for fortifications
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed three laws introducing changes to mobilization, according to the website of Ukraine's parliament on April 2.
Most Ukrainians say they understand the motivation of those who try to avoid mobilization, according to a poll by Ukraine's Institute of Social and Political Psychology published on April 1. At the same time, almost 43% of respondents said they were ashamed of men who evade mobilization.
“(Russia) can highly likely continue to absorb losses and continue attacks aiming at wearing down Ukrainian forces,” the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its latest report.
Key developments on March 29: * Russian assault on Kharkiv can't be ruled out, chief commander says * Syrskyi: 500,000 mobilization figure 'significantly reduced' * Zelensky: Russia targets Kaniv, Dnister hydroelectric power plants overnight * Romania says it found possible drone fragments on its territory following Russian attack on Ukraine * Defense committee considers
The parliament's National Security and Defense Committee reviewed all the 4,269 amendments of a mobilization bill, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said on March 29.
The draft law on mobilization, which is being amended by lawmakers, proposes to lower the enlistment age and introduce basic military training for adults, according to Ukraine's Defense Ministry.
Editor’s Note: Brian Bonner, the Kyiv Post’s chief editor from 2008-2021, is the host of Hromadske Radio’s podcast “Ukraine Calling.” This weekly English-language program, released on Fridays, can be found on Hromadske’s YouTube channel and website, as well as on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Google Podcasts,
"The idea of demobilization is being buried (in the parliament)," lawmaker Oleksii Honcharenko said on March 27.
"It seems to me that today there are no writers or non-writers, musicians or non-musicians — there are citizens of Ukraine who feel responsible for their country," he said.
The Russian Armed Forces will create two new combined arms armies, 14 divisions, and 16 brigades, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said during a meeting with other defense chiefs on March 20.
Ministry of Defense advisor on recruiting issues Oleksiy Bezhevets announced on March 19 that 27 new-type recruitment centers are planned to be opened in big cities and regional centers in the first half of 2024, the Defense Ministry's press service reported.
At the same time, Andrii Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine's military intelligence said that mobilization has continued in Russia throughout the campaign and election.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, law enforcement agencies have uncovered nearly 400 criminal networks that help individuals evade military service by aiding them in fleeing abroad, a spokesperson for Ukraine's State Border Guard Service announced on March 17.
The police launched an investigation into the circumstances of a supposed attempted suicide by a man in the Khust military enlistment office in Zakarpattia Oblast, Hromadske reported on March 16, citing a statement from the police.
The second Ukrainian military recruitment center, reportedly independent from enlistment offices, will open in Zaporizhzhia next week, Ivan Fedorov, the regional governor, announced on March 15.
The military is not expecting 500,000 men to be mobilized immediately, and this figure is a general estimation that will be adjusted depending on the situation at the front, the Defense Ministry said in a comment to the Financial Times (FT) on March 13.
Editor’s note: This is issue 46 of Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak’s weekly “Ukrainian Economy in Brief” newsletter, covering events from March 4- 10, 2024. The digest highlights steps taken in the Ukrainian parliament related to business, economics, and international financial programs. The Kyiv Independent is republishing with permission.
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on March 7 ordering to transfer some conscripts of compulsory basic military service to the reserve in the spring of 2024.
Editor’s note: This is issue 45 of Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak’s weekly “Ukrainian Economy in Brief” newsletter, covering events from Feb. 26- March 3, 2024. The digest highlights steps taken in the Ukrainian parliament related to business, economics, and international financial programs. The Kyiv Independent is republishing with
The Ukrainian government needs eight taxpayers per soldier to ensure the state budget has enough funding for the military, Denys Shmyhal said during a press conference on March 4.
The Special Prosecutor's Office in Ternopil is investigating the death of a 49-year-old man who died at a military enlistment center in Ternopil Oblast following a many-day stay at the center. The man was reportedly found to be epileptic, with bruises all over his body
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky's original proposal, conscripts whose term of service expired during martial law and whose military service was extended beyond the established period are released from service to the reserve "within the terms determined by the presidential decree."
Key developments on Feb. 23: * Air Force: Ukraine shoots down another Russian A-50 aircraft over Azov Sea * 'Without aid, Ukraine will lose war, with aid it will win,' US Senator Schumer says in Lviv * Zelensky: War with Russia is 'not a stalemate' * EU adopts 13th package of Russia sanctions
The bill was passed with 319 votes for and none against, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted the bill on Feb. 22. According to the proposal, conscripts whose term of service expired during martial law and whose military service was extended beyond the established period are released from service to the reserve "within the terms determined by the presidential decree."
Russian Telegram channels said that six people who were detained in St. Petersburg while attending makeshift memorial ceremonies were told that they "must report to the enlistment office within a few days to verify their information and register for military service."
Ukrainian business associations are calling for reforms of the country's new mobilization law, fearing that its draft policies could cripple an already-struggling domestic economy, Reuters reported on Feb. 19.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 12 signed bills extending martial law and mobilization for additional 90 days starting Feb. 14.
David Arakhamia, the head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's party in the Ukrainian parliament, called "absolutely unacceptable" the bill's proposal to allow the blocking of bank accounts of citizens who evade military service, adding that he didn't see any support for this proposal among lawmakers.
(Updated: )
