The battered Ukrainian army grapples with a growing troop shortage

Efforts to enlist young men are hindered by politics, demographics, and a growing reluctance among Ukrainians to join the military. A bill aimed at expanding conscription in Ukraine has stalled in the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, after several months of debate. This is reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The proposed changes are rather modest: the conscription age will be lowered from 27 to 25 years. Additionally, soldiers will be granted the right to leave the army after three years of service, and men evading military conscription will face penalties. Hundreds of thousands of men still dodge the army. Military personnel often set up checkpoints on the streets, stopping men of conscription age and sending them eastward to the trenches.

Many men report being beaten or detained for several days until they sign consent forms for conscription. Nevertheless, hundreds of thousands of men evade registration at local conscription offices, likely through bribery. Videos circulate online showing young men fleeing from military recruiters in cities across the country. Moreover, the birthrate crisis following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 means there are simply fewer 20-year-old Ukrainians than in previous generations. And as time goes on, Ukraine’s population is shrinking at record rates.