From School to War: Ukraine will be able to fight until 2044 if it mobilizes boys from the age of 16, – says Budanov

In Ukraine, there is renewed discussion about lowering the conscription age. If Ukraine starts conscription at 18 years old, it will be able to fight until 2033. If it starts sending people to the front at 16 years old, it could continue until 2044.

This was stated by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Kyrylo Budanov, while speaking at the Kyiv School of Economics.

The chief of the department reported that, according to his information, such calculations were made in the Kremlin to assess Ukraine’s mobilization capacity. However, the chief intelligence officer believes that the war with Russia will not last that long.

“Hardly anyone will be able to fight until 2044. The primary issue here is the economy: no economy can withstand a state of war for that long. But if Ukraine is mostly using non-native funds for waging war, Russia is using its own resources, and the enemy understands this clearly,” Budanov said.

In addition, Budanov shared his latest forecast regarding the prospects of the war. In his opinion, the intensity of the Russian offensive in Ukraine will decline in one and a half to two months.

Recently, Member of Parliament Fedir Venislavsky stated that Western partners periodically raise the issue of Ukraine lowering the conscription age.