Ukraine is facing serious issues with mobilization

After basic training in Western Europe, none of the new recruits expected to be sent to an assault unit on the hottest spot of the Ukrainian frontline. Some volunteered, hoping to get positions matching their profiles, like drone operators or artillerymen.

Others were driven out of their villages without any warning. One elderly recruit didn’t even have the chance to pick up his dentures. In less than a week in the trenches of Donbas in eastern Ukraine, a platoon of 20 people was reduced to six. Three died in combat, three were seriously wounded,” the publication details as an example of the current mobilization and its consequences.

The Economist notes that military recruitment centers attempt to fill army positions with volunteers, resorting, in part, to raids in gyms and shopping malls. However, few of those who end up in the army turn out to be good soldiers. “We see people aged 45 to 47. They were already out of breath by the time they reached the front line,” complains one high-ranking officer.