Ukraine intends to mobilize 330,000 new recruits – Financial Times

Ukraine plans to mobilize 330,000 new recruits to replace exhausted soldiers on the front lines.

This information reported according to the Financial Times citing the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

“The remaining recruits will compensate for losses and meet other military needs, depending on the situation on the battlefield,” the ministry told the newspaper.

In total, as reported by the publication, Ukraine plans to mobilize half a million people.

However, “a significant portion of men of fighting age do not want to go to the front,” reports FT.

Citing calculations from the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the publication writes that out of 11.1 million Ukrainian men aged 25 to 60, only 3.7 million can be mobilized. The rest are either fighting, disabled, abroad, or reserved in production.

Referring to a poll by Info Sapiens conducted in February, FT writes that 48% of men were not ready to fight, while 34% were prepared. The rest answered “hard to say.”

Regarding the mobilization bill, FT journalists write that draft dodgers “will be subjected to home visits by military recruiters and deprived of their driving licenses.” The publication provides this information citing deputies discussing the final version of the bill.