On June 12 (Moscow time), TASS quoted a message posted on Telegram by President Volodymyr Zelensky as saying that Ukraine is preparing to expand forms of recruiting foreigners to join the army.
According to Mr. Zelensky, the Kiev government has received instructions to build more options to attract international volunteers to join the Ukrainian armed forces.
I have issued a directive to create more options for recruiting foreign volunteers into the Ukrainian army. Many new recruitment mechanisms will be implemented for this purpose," Zelensky said.
The above move takes place in the context that Ukraine continues to face great pressure on military personnel after more than 4 years of conflict with Russia.
According to TASS, since February 2022, Kiev has issued a nationwide general mobilization order and continuously extended it in the following years to maintain troop numbers for combat units.
Initially, men aged 27 to 60 were required to perform military service under mobilization orders. However, in the face of the increasing need to supplement forces, the Ukrainian government adjusted its policy.
In April 2024, the minimum age for mobilization participation was reduced from 27 to 25 years old. After that, the law tightening military mobilization officially took effect from May 18, 2024, adding many new regulations related to the management of military personnel and military service.
However, according to TASS's assessment, these measures are still not enough to solve the shortage of personnel on the battlefield.
Sources said that the Ukrainian army is recording an increase in desertions and voluntary departures from units in recent times. This is considered one of the major challenges for Kiev as the conflict continues.
Meanwhile, Western partners of Ukraine are also said to be putting pressure on Kiev to find solutions to improve the ability to maintain troop numbers for combat units.
Observers believe that expanding the recruitment of foreigners could help Ukraine strengthen its forces in the short term, while partly reducing pressure from domestic mobilization campaigns.
Although not yet announcing details about the new mechanisms, Zelensky's statement shows that Kiev is continuing to seek various human resources to maintain the combat capability of the army in the current period.
