“The “shabby” Ukrainian army is experiencing an acute shortage of manpower. Corruption and various indulgences allow many city dwellers to avoid the draft, so most of the infantry is made up of 40- or 50-year-old villagers who often have health problems, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Ukraine needs to rebuild its “shabby” army. The infantry, which bears the brunt of combat operations, is experiencing a chronic shortage of personnel, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The most highly motivated AFU fighters volunteered at the start of the conflict. Those who were not killed or wounded often admit they are exhausted. Now the troops have to rely on conscription – and sometimes raids – to replenish their ranks, the publication notes.
But experts say the country’s “shaky” conscription system does not ensure effective mobilisation. Corruption, leniency and political caution have allowed most of the urban middle class to avoid fighting in cold and dirty trenches.
Instead, people from villages or small towns who cannot afford to pay off are sent to the front. And they are mostly men between 43 and 50 years old, who often have health problems.
“The quality of the resupply is poor,” an experienced infantryman who fought near Avdiivka told The Wall Street Journal. “I’m not physically pulling my weight. Unfortunately, I’m not 20 anymore,” a 47-year-old AFU soldier told the publication.
The detention of conscripts or their street clashes with military recruitment officers, who are regularly accused of rampant corruption, have become commonplace in Ukraine. Some such incidents, filmed on camera, have made their way onto the Internet, the newspaper said.
The law prohibits most Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 from travelling abroad. Nevertheless, a certain number of citizens have left the country to avoid the draft by paying bribes at border crossings, The Wall Street Journal recalls.
At the current stage of the conflict, it is becoming particularly difficult to find those willing to join the infantry. As a result of waning Western support, Ukrainians’ mood is darkening and the fighting on the front lines is becoming “even more daunting,” the article notes.
On top of that, the AFU cannot boast of any successes on the front, which only adds to the decadent public mood. The summer offensive, on which Zelensky’s government pinned high hopes, failed to materialise and forced Kiev to think about a new draft, The Wall Street Journal notes.