Zelensky: Ukraine Army Requests Mobilization of Up to 500,000 More Soldiers

Zelensky says the army requests mobilizing up to 500,000 more soldiers

The Ukrainian army has asked the government to mobilize between 450,000 and 500,000 additional personnel, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference in Kyiv. The figure has not yet been approved. Zelensky acknowledged that the final decision rests with military command, the government, and parliament, noting that an operation of this scale would require additional financing. He expressed confidence that the United States will not "let down" Ukraine regarding support.

How many soldiers does Ukraine have left?

The request for half a million men is no small number. Some participants in the debate argue that Ukraine has already recruited practically all young men without family responsibilities, leaving mostly those in their forties and fifties, many with health issues, or teenagers under 18. Some claim the army is already sending elderly people to the front because the young were exhausted months ago. It is also stated that oligarchs' sons do not go.

Some calculate that if Ukraine mobilizes 500,000 more men, adding them to accumulated losses, the country will lose an entire generation of males. A portion of analysts suggest this equates to 500,000 fewer inhabitants and, therefore, better job prospects for those remaining.

Napoleon's precedent and the meat grinder

History offers uncomfortable parallels. At Waterloo, late in the afternoon of June 18, 1815, French generals asked Napoleon for more infantry, to which he angrily replied: "Where do you want me to get them from, or do you expect me to manufacture them?"

The debate on forced mobilization is not new. Videos of recruiters grabbing men off the streets have circulated for months, according to some. The question raised by some is: What combat effectiveness will a man kidnapped while going to buy bread have?

The game of powers: Europe as cannon fodder

Western support comes with fine print. One line of thought argues that Ukraine is fighting not just for its territory but for NATO interests, and that when Ukrainians run out, Poles, Germans, and Romanians will be mobilized. Never British or Americans, of course. In this reading, the enemy is not Russia, but a Europe bleeding out by proxy.

Meanwhile, Russia is making moves too. Vladimir Pilingui has ordered expanding the maximum army personnel to 2.2 million military personnel, and the Ministry of Defense wants to reduce the list of diseases exempting recruitment. Some warn that if Ukraine mobilizes half a million, Russia will respond with another mobilization, prolonging the slaughter for at least two more years.

What about those fleeing?

The BBC estimated 650,000 men of recruiting age have left Ukraine for Europe, according to some reports. Many allegedly left early, while others bribed officials to avoid returning. Ukrainian law considers draft evasion treason, but some say hundreds of thousands prefer living hidden in apartments in Warsaw or Berlin rather than dying in a Donetsk trench. European countries are beginning to pressure refugees to work or leave, according to some messages.

Some point out the dilemma for Ukrainian families with teenage children is heartbreaking. A boy who is 15 today will reach military age in two or three years, with the war still ongoing. Many parents are already taking their children out of the country, according to these messages.

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Mobilizing 500,000 men is not a technical decision. It is an existential bet, according to some. If it goes wrong, Ukraine may be left without an army and without population. If it goes well, the war becomes eternal.