Ukraine needs 500,000 more troops amid slowing mobilization, senior lawmaker says

Roman Kostenko, secretary of the parliamentary defense committee, stated on Nov. 2 that in his view it is necessary to mobilize 500,000 citizens, given current battlefield conditions.

Speaking on the "Pryamiy" TV channel, he noted that mobilization rates dropped in September after an initially steady pace following the mobilization strengthening law in April.

While the goal had been to draft 200,000, Kostenko believes this falls short, aligning with former Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny’s earlier recommendation for 500,000 recruits.

In December 2023, President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the military's proposal for large-scale mobilization, estimating it would cost Ukraine 500 billion hryvnias.

Currently, plans are set to mobilize an additional 160,000 men, adding to the 1.05 million already serving.

Ukraine has been struggling to mobilize enough soldiers for the front line to compensate for troop casualties and the need to rotate soldiers who have been fighting since the onset of the full-scale war.

Ukraine calls on Moscow to provide list of POWs ready for swap

Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said on Nov. 3 that Ukraine remains willing to receive its citizens and blamed Russia for slowing down the exchanges.

The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova