The former Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valeriy Zaluzhny, spoke out against the mobilization of young Ukrainians aged 18 to 25

Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, has spoken out against the mobilization of young men aged 18-25.

He made this statement during a meeting with Ukrainian students in London.

“We need to protect the 18-25 age group as much as possible. I have always opposed mobilizing people under 25 when I was Commander-in-Chief because we need Ukraine to exist in 20 or 30 years. And those who are 18 years old now—these are the people who will save this country,” Zaluzhnyi said.

However, he also added that mobilizing the youth could be necessary “in extreme cases.”

“If the country reaches a critical point where the very existence of the state is threatened, only young people aged 18-25 can save it,” he said.

Recently, MP Roman Kostenko mentioned that the government is discussing lowering the mobilization age to 20, citing the current low mobilization rates. According to him, some American officials are also advocating for mobilizing younger people. However, the Ukrainian authorities have not officially confirmed such plans.