War in Ukraine

One in five can imagine serving in the army

Ukrainian recruits(Bild: AP)

One in five Ukrainians between the ages of 25 and 59 can imagine fighting in the army. This is the result of a survey. In addition, more than 700,000 conscripts are registered as refugees in the EU alone. They are unlikely to return to the country before the end of the war.

This means that the willingness to join the Ukrainian army is low. There are currently more than one million men and women under arms. Of these, more than 800,000 are directly in the army, with others in the National Guard and border troops. Of those who are active in the army, around 300,000 soldiers are directly deployed on the front line.

In order to obtain additional forces, the mobilization age was recently lowered from 27 to 25. Armed forces who have served for more than three years are no longer automatically discharged from the army. In addition, the registration requirements for conscripted men have been tightened.

Russians "choose a complex approach"
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks of a difficult situation on the front. However, he said it was not so bad that the country would surrender with its hands up. The head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service HUR, Kyrylo Budanov, expects problems, especially in mid-May and early June, because the Russian army has chosen a complex approach.

Russian troops have been repeatedly announcing territorial gains for months, especially in eastern Ukraine. According to military experts, however, these successes are only operational and do not represent a real breakthrough on the front line. The British Ministry of Defense speaks of "slow but gradual progress." A lot of equipment has been destroyed.