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Ukraine

Parliament passes controversial law to boost much-needed conscripts

Published:Friday | April 12, 2024 | 12:09 AM
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Ukrainian servicemen from the Azov brigade known by call sign Ray (left) and Kiss (right) rest in the trenches on the frontline in Kreminna direction, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Thursday, April 11, 2024.
AP
Ukrainian servicemen from the Azov brigade known by call sign Ray (left) and Kiss (right) rest in the trenches on the frontline in Kreminna direction, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Thursday, April 11, 2024.
Members of the Siberian Battalion, which was formed mostly of volunteer Russian citizens, of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ International Legion, practice during military exercises, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, at an undisclosed location in Kyiv regio
AP
Members of the Siberian Battalion, which was formed mostly of volunteer Russian citizens, of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ International Legion, practice during military exercises, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, at an undisclosed location in Kyiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Apr. 10, 2024.
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP):

Ukraine’s parliament passed a controversial law Thursday that will govern how the country calls up new soldiers at a time when it needs to replenish depleted forces who are increasingly struggling to fend off Russia’s advance.

The law was passed against a backdrop of an escalating Russian campaign that has devastated Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent weeks. Authorities said overnight missile and drone attacks completely destroyed the Trypilska thermal power plant, the largest power-generating facility in the capital region.

Two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion captured nearly a quarter of the country, the stakes could not be higher for Kyiv. After a string of victories in the first year of the war, fortunes have turned for the Ukrainian military, which is dug in, outgunned and outnumbered.

The country desperately needs more troops — and they need more ammunition — at a time when doubts about the supply of Western aid are increasing.

The mobilisation law was first envisioned after Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive failed to gain significant ground last year — and authorities realised the country was in for a longer fight.

In December, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s military wanted to mobilise up to 500,000 more troops. Army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has since revised that figure down, because soldiers can be rotated from the rear. But officials haven’t said how many are needed.

The law — which was watered down from its original form — will make it easier to identify every draft-eligible man in the country, where many have dodged conscription by avoiding contact with authorities.

Under the law, men ages 18 to 60 will be required to carry documents showing they have registered with the military, and present them when asked, according to Oksana Zabolotna, an analyst for the watchdog group Centre for United Actions. Also, any man who applies for a state service at a consulate abroad will be registered for military service.