Lowering conscription age to 25 can provide Ukrainian Armed Forces with 100,000 more recruits

Conscripting people from the age of 25 could add about 100,000 young soldiers to Ukrainian Armed Forces, NV's sister publication Ukrainska Pravda reported on May 16.

It is noted that bill on lowering concription age from 27 to 25 years has been awaiting signature of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy for 10 months since its adoption by Ukrainian Parliament.

According to Ukrainska Pravda (UP) sources who participated in General Staff meetings, former Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi reminded the president several times about that bill, but Zelenskyy hesitated.

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The head of state did not dare to sign the law because of his dislike for unpopular decisions and financial aspect of mobilization.

Eventually, the president signed the bill. The outlet noted that Zelenskyy took this step because of depletion of Armed Forces and irreversible losses at the front.

The article says that it is not known whether mobilization of 25-year-olds will significantly rejuvenate the army.

Oleksandr Hladun, deputy director of the Institute of Demography and Quality of Life Problems of National Academy of Sciences, noted that in 1998-1999, 416,349 boys were born in Ukraine. Now they should be 25-26 years old.

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At the same time, he noted that not all of them will join Armed Forces, because some will not be fit for health reasons, and some are abroad or in the temporarily occupied territories.

At the same time, UP’s interlocutors in General Staff predict that decision to conscript 25-year-olds could add about 100,000 young defenders to Ukrainian army.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine