Wall Street Journal: Ukraine is facing a critical manpower shortage problem

According to RCO News Agency, at the same time that the war in Ukraine will enter its third year in February 2025, the Ukrainian army is still facing a shortage of troops and ammunition, and has resorted to various methods to supply the necessary forces in the war, and on the other hand, tensions in the society have increased. There has been an increase in how some prominent figures, including prosecutors, prevent soldiers from participating in war and create medical exemptions by distorting and manipulating medical documents; Recently, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine was disgraced and forced to resign due to the abuse of the status of virtual disability and avoidance of military service by the local authorities.

The “Wall Street Journal” newspaper, in a report referring to Russia’s superiority in troops and ammunition, writes: “On the eastern frontline, the Russians use superior weapons and a large number of troops to control the areas and push back the Ukrainian forces, who launched an unexpected attack on Kursk in August. They did, they use it.”

This American newspaper further points to Ukraine’s “biggest problem” and writes: “Volodymyr Zelenskyi”, the president of Ukraine, has long been trying to get more weapons and security guarantees from the United States in order to see a change in the course of this war in his favor, but Ukraine’s biggest problem is considered to be an internal problem and it does not have enough forces to continue this war. Most men who want to join the armed forces have already done so, making it harder to recruit and deploy more. “Also, many eligible people have either hidden themselves or fled the country illegally to avoid military service and the Ukrainian army’s plan to deploy in the war.”

“There is no easy solution,” says Matthew Bolg, non-resident senior fellow of the Transatlantic Defense and Security Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. Unfortunately, this is a critical issue that you cannot solve by sending anything but Western troops; An action that is not likely.”

“Vasyl Romak”, the Ukrainian military official, announced the reduction of the number of soldiers undergoing training from 35,000 in the spring to 20,000 after the approval of the law on the deployment of troops. Of course, the spokesman of the Ukrainian army said about these figures that the exact number of recruits remains “secret” and this figure may be different.

Will Ukraine be able to solve the problem of lack of power?

“The Wall Street Journal” further emphasizes that the deployment of new forces for Ukraine is not only a military problem, but also a social and political problem.

This American media reports: “Among the soldiers who have been serving on the front line for nearly three years, there is a sense of anger and hatred against the men who escaped military service. “Also, after numerous scandals in which some officials granted exemptions in exchange for bribes, President Zelensky is under pressure to show that the burden of responsibility for this war is shared equally among members of society.”

All Ukrainian men between the ages of 25 and 60 are eligible for military service, and men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave the country.

The media and eyewitnesses recently reported that the Ukrainian army, due to lack of manpower, raided restaurants, cafes and even concert halls and sports clubs and detained men whose age and condition met military regulations.

The lack of manpower in the Ukrainian military is so dire that the president of Ukraine signed a bill allowing Ukrainian prisoners to join the military to fight against Russia.

“Although there is evidence that Ukraine is building up additional reserves and raising new brigades, the main question is whether it can do both at the same time,” said Vienna-based military analyst Franz Stefan Gaddy. Now, whether he will successfully solve the lack of human resources on the front line or not.”

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