Ukrainian recruits face readiness challenges despite mobilization efforts

The "New York Times" reported on Wednesday, based on information from Ukrainian officials, military personnel, and analysts, that a significant number of Ukrainian recruits will soon reach the front lines. However, their training and physical condition often exceed the required standards.

Mobilization efforts have so far not significantly strengthened the Ukrainian forces on the battlefield. Many recruits are still undergoing weeks of training and have not yet arrived at the front. Some of those who are already there are physically unfit for combat, according to soldiers from Ukrainian units cited by the American daily.

Some brigades deployed on the front report an increase in recruits arriving in recent weeks. A spokesman for the 33rd Mechanized Brigade, Nazar Voytenkow, said on Friday that his unit "received more fresh troops this month than it had at the beginning of the war. - And today I was told that more are on the way," he announced.

Ukrainian authorities refused to provide the number of recruits, claiming it is confidential information. However, three military experts familiar with the figures said that since May—when a new conscription law came into effect in Ukraine—30,000 people have been conscripted into the army per month. This is two or three times more than during the winter months, and about the same number is recruited monthly by the Russian army, writes the "NYT."

Sergiy Skibczyk, spokesman for the 65th Brigade, which is fighting in southern Ukraine, said the situation has slightly improved compared to the end of 2023, when there was a severe shortage of soldiers. Now, small groups of recruits arrive at his unit every week, but "we still need more people than we are getting," he said.

In April, the then commander of the Joint Forces of Ukraine, General Yuri Sodol, said that on some sections of the front, the Russians outnumber Ukrainian soldiers by more than 7 to 1.

However, Ukraine struggles to recruit more soldiers due to a system that critics say is mired in bureaucracy and corruption. A recent survey also found that most Ukrainians consider the basic training of conscripts to be insufficient, leading to some men avoiding conscription out of fear that they will not be adequately prepared for combat, the newspaper writes.

Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Defence Committee, Yegor Chernev, wrote in a text message that "the situation with conscription has significantly improved" but did not provide specific numbers.

According to Justice Minister Denys Maluska, in addition to conscription, Ukraine has also released about 4,200 inmates from prison to go to the front in exchange for the possibility of pardon after they complete service.

A doctor fighting near Toretsk in eastern Ukraine said her brigade had received 2,000 recruits and prisoners in the last two months.

As the "NYT" noted, citing soldiers and analysts, it is important to mobilize new recruits and provide them with sufficient weapons and ammunition and training.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted this month that there are not enough centres to train recruits. He added that several brigades are insufficiently armed due to delays in the delivery of Western weapons.

A spokesman for the 33rd Mechanized Brigade, Voytenkow, said that recruits were trained additional weekly in his unit to familiarize them with the weapons and armoured vehicles they would use. After basic training, as he noted, "honestly, they are not ready for combat."