Ukraine’s Emergency Service denies claims of mass mobilization, says 90% of staff are exempt
This denial follows opposition MP Oleksii Honcharenko's Telegram post alleging plans for widespread State Emergency Service mobilization after Feb. 28.
Mobilization
Equipping troops takes priority over lowering draft age, Zelensky says
Ukraine's immediate focus is on adequately equipping its military, rather than further reducing the draft age, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 14, according to Interfax-Ukraine.
Ukraine war latest: Ukraine's 47th Brigade releases video of 'massive' Russian attack repelled in Kursk Oblast
Key developments on Jan. 9: * Ukraine's 47th Brigade releases video of 'massive' Russian attack repelled in Kursk Oblast * 4,000 North Korean troops killed or wounded fighting against Ukraine, Zelensky claims * 'It would be crazy to drop the ball now' — Zelensky urges continued unity, support for Ukraine at Ramstein * Kyiv,
Ukraine offers defense industry jobs, draft exemptions for citizens abroad, minister says
"We have a shortage of professionals, and Ukraine is ready to exempt most of them from military service," Chernyshov said.
Ukrainians in Poland receive fake military summonses
Poland's Office for Foreigners, which the letter falsely attributes as the author, stressed that it did not issue the document and that its content is fake. Ukraine's Embassy in Warsaw also denied the document's authenticity.
Parliament proposes bill to allow male students free travel from Ukraine
The Verkhovna Rada is drafting a bill that will allow Ukrainian students enrolled in universities abroad to freely cross Ukraine's borders. Once entering the country from abroad, most male students currently cannot leave Ukraine again.
As US pushes Ukraine to lower conscription age, why won’t Kyiv draft younger men?
Editor's note: this article was updated to reflect incoming U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz's comments on the topic. When looking at Ukraine’s Armed Forces, there is one thing that stands out — it is made up predominantly of older men. Ukraine has never publicly released information about the
Russia’s wars, from Syria to Ukraine | Ukraine This Week
In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, host Anna Belokur dives into Russia’s withdrawal from Syria after the dictator Bashar al-Assad’s downfall, as well as a front line update from Ukraine and the controversy surrounding mobilizing younger men.
Ukraine won't trade young soldiers' lives for better weapons, Zelensky says
"The priority should be providing missiles and lowering Russia's military potential, not Ukraine's draft age. The goal should be to preserve as many lives as possible, not to preserve weapons in storage."
US says it's ready to train, arm new soldiers if Ukraine changes conscription policy
"We have made clear is that if (Ukraine) produces additional forces to join the fight, we and our allies will be ready to acquit those forces and train those forces to enter battle," U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Dec. 9.
Russia illegally drafted 5,500 residents of occupied Crimea in 2024, Kyiv says
Nearly 5,500 residents of Russian-occupied Crimea were mobilized into the Russian army in 2024, according to the report of the Mission of the President of Ukraine in Crimea, published on Dec. 4.
Ukraine has 'hard decisions' to make about further mobilization, Blinken says
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described mobilization as "critical" for Ukraine, adding that despite having funds and ammunition, people are needed to repel Russian aggression.
West provided enough aid for 2.5 brigades out of requested 10, Zelensky says
"They speak about mobilization, but the real problem [is] with 10 brigades which our partners didn't equip," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Sky News published on Nov. 29.
Ukraine’s fight against Russian invasion undermined by draft-dodging graft
Heavy fighting on the front lines of Russia’s full-scale invasion, dragging out for almost three years, has left thousands of Ukrainian soldiers seriously injured or killed in action. Many still fighting for years along more than 600 miles of the front line in Ukraine’s east and south are
US urges Ukraine to lower draft age to 18 amid troop shortage, AP reports
The Biden administration is urging Ukraine to lower its draft age from 25 to 18 in an effort to increase troop numbers, the Associated Press reported on Nov. 27, citing an unnamed senior Biden administration official.
Parliament passes bill allowing first-time deserters to return to military service
The contracts of these soldiers will continue to be valid if they decide to return to their units.
Parliament passes bills on military service, including draft deferral for civilians released from captivity
The Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed several bills on Nov. 20 considering mobilization and demobilization.
Defense Ministry pledges to draft bill on demobilization by Dec. 18, official says
It is not yet clear what conditions the Defense Ministry will propose for discharging military personnel from service, secretary of the parliamentary defense committee Roman Kostenko said.
Ukraine struggles to contain Russian advance in Donetsk Oblast as US elections loom
As voters in the U.S. head to the polls in presidential elections set to decisively steer the trajectory of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the situation on the battlefield is beginning to unravel for Kyiv. After two years of brutal attritional warfare across southern and eastern Ukraine, dynamism
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.
Ukraine Business Roundup — Ukraine debates who serves and who doesn’t
The following is the Oct. 30, 2024 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. Companies in Ukraine that were expecting to be able to “reserve” their employees to shield them from military
160,000 people planned to be drafted into Ukrainian forces, National Security and Defense Council head says
Some 160,000 people are planned to be drafted into Ukrainian forces, which will raise the manning of units to 85%, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksandr Lytvynenko said on Oct. 29.
Government says 'strategically important' employees will be able to extend military exemption status
Meanwhile, an audit of the exemption process is ongoing until Nov. 15 to assess which businesses qualify for critical enterprise status, reflecting the government's effort to balance the country's defense needs with economic stability.
The little-known obstacle to Ukraine's mobilization effort
Can Ukraine actually lower the mobilization age? There’s a complication many don’t know about.
Meet the Ukrainian prisoner soldiers entering the fray in the Battle of Donbas
Editor’s note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only. DONETSK OBLAST – Sitting around in the long, dry grass outside an abandoned village house, two dozen men in summer military fatigues listen attentively to
Many Russians support Putin despite favoring opposing policies, survey shows
Around 61% of Putin's supporters said they favored peace in Ukraine under mutual concessions, according to the poll conducted by the independent Levada Center between Sept. 10 and 17.
Ukraine's draft system burdened with Soviet heritage, fixing it will take time, Zaluzhnyi says
Ukraine had to change its approach to mobilization as it carries Soviet influences, but much more time is needed for a proper reform, Ukrainian ambassador to the U.K. Valerii Zaluzhyni said at an event on Oct. 17 in response to a Kyiv Independent reporter.
Ukraine war latest: North Korea has sent 10,000 soldiers to Russia, Western source says
Key developments on Oct. 15: * North Korea has sent 10,000 soldiers to Russia, Western source says * Russia may resume strikes on Ukraine's energy sector in autumn, winter, official warns * 'No intact buildings left' in Toretsk, accelerating Russian advance, military says * US lawmakers pressuring Zelensky to lower mobilization age, Presidential
US lawmakers pressuring Zelensky to lower mobilization age, Presidential Office advisor says
The unnamed U.S. lawmakers have reportedly cited America's experience in the Vietnam War, when men aged 18-26 were drafted to fight, said Presidential Office advisor Serhii Leshchenko.
Officers detained men outside Okean Elzy concert in Kyiv, official confirms
Video footage taken at the scene shows officers stationed outside the doors to the venue, intercepting male attendees as they exited the concert. Officers are shown forcibly arresting some men.
Top medical official in Kyiv suspected of faking disability certificates for draft-age men
The head of one of the inter-district Centers for Medical and Social Experts in Kyiv will appear in court for allegedly handing out fake disability certificates, the police said on Oct. 8.
Russian losses in Ukraine mount in September, 2nd-deadliest month since start of full-scale invasion
September was the second-deadliest month for Russian forces fighting in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, according to figures released by Kyiv. Adding up, the daily reports from the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces show 38,130 Russian soldiers were reported as casualties last month. The figures
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