‘Like at the Market’: Ukrainian Armed Forces officers complain that their soldiers are old, sick, and unwilling to fight – NYT

Ukrainian officers complain that the soldiers recruited by the state are often too old and sickly.

This was reported by the New York Times.

“Brigade officers complain that conscripts recruited by the official system are often too old, have weak health, and lack motivation to fight,” the publication states.

According to one of the Ukrainian officers interviewed by the newspaper, out of two hundred conscripts, only 25 really wanted to fight.

In light of this situation, the newspaper claims that many units take on the role of recruiting personnel, using marketing tools to attract “motivated” individuals, convincing them that the risks of dying are “not that great.”

“It’s like a market. You have to try to find people using marketing methods,” shared another Ukrainian Armed Forces officer.

Since February 24, 2022, Ukraine has been under a state of martial law, and the next day, Zelensky signed a decree on general mobilization. In particular, the departure of men aged 18 to 60 from the country was restricted. In October, Time magazine, citing an assistant to the President of Ukraine, reported that the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had thinned to the extent that military enlistment offices had to call people with an average age of 43. In turn, the NYT wrote that Kyiv is striving to recruit more women into the army.