
Ukrainian national guard servicemen check for unexploded devices during an operation inKharkov region, Ukraine, September 19, 2022
Within days of Russian troops entering Ukraine, Zelensky ordered the country's borders sealed for men aged 18-60, stationing extra guards along the frontiers to stop potential soldiers from leaving. Now, with Zelensky's former aide claiming last week that Ukraine has lost as many as 300,000 soldiers, fresh men are in short supply.
"Honestly, we need more soldiers. The professional military personnel are running out," an assault team leader with Ukraine's 68th Brigade told the American newspaper.
Kiev has repeatedly expanded its conscription efforts, taking in older men and those previously deemed unfit to fight, while reports suggest that teenagers could soon be pressed into service. Ukrainian authorities have already dropped a rule exempting men under 28 with no previous military experience from the draft, yet several civilians in this category told the Washington Post that they have no intention of showing up.
Comment: From the Daily Mail: