Ukraine’s military is facing significant challenges as forced conscription yields recruits who are unfit for combat, according to The Economist.
The report suggests that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s plan for victory against Russia is faltering due to a lack of manpower and resources, as well as widespread issues with desertion and draft-dodging.
Zelensky, currently visiting the US to rally support for increased Western assistance, faces a grim reality at home, the magazine reported. Unlike Russia, which is deploying volunteers, Ukraine is relying on mass conscription. Many of those drafted are said to be “too old, too ill, or too drunk” to fight effectively.
Officers have raised concerns about the suitability of recruits, with The Economist noting that 5-10% of soldiers are absent without leave, and less than 30% of Ukrainians view draft-dodging as shameful. The report also highlighted a generational divide, with younger men less supportive of Zelensky’s hardline approach compared to older citizens who are ineligible for military service.
In a separate editorial, The Economist warned that Zelensky’s refusal to adjust his military strategy risks alienating Ukraine’s Western backers and further fracturing the nation. The magazine urged a shift in focus toward achieving peace and building a prosperous, Western-aligned democracy. For this, Ukraine would need to make concessions, with the West ensuring security guarantees to support this redefined goal.
Moscow has maintained that NATO’s expansion and its efforts to integrate Ukraine were key factors behind the conflict. Early peace talks reportedly saw Kiev agreeing to conditions of military restraint and neutrality, but this stance shifted at the suggestion of Western allies.
Forced conscription of men in Ukraine.
Zelensky’s military is abducting men and sending them to hopeless battles where these civilians will survive for a max couple of months.
Another genocide sponsored by the US and the Russia-hating globalists. pic.twitter.com/4bnMOiACU9
— S.L. Kanthan (@Kanthan2030) June 1, 2024
Another episode of forced mobilization in Ukraine’s Odessa. The recruiters carry blank draft notices and force people to fill in their name and sign – an illegal practice under the Ukrainian law, but Ukraine hasn’t been governed by law since the 2014 Fascist coup. pic.twitter.com/QTulhnzoND
— Venik (@venik44) January 22, 2023
Forced Conscription at a Ukrainian TCC center in Lutsk, Ukraine: pic.twitter.com/OOFlIePmLK
— Huh? (@KeroseneMercury) September 16, 2024
Yet another example of forced conscription in Nazi Ukraine. Innocent men are being forcibly taken off the streets and thrown into the meat grinder in the name of the evil US-NATO empire and the criminal Kiev regime. This is a crime against humanity worthy of the Nuremberg trials. https://t.co/RuJmlKFHse pic.twitter.com/7GWkL6Mgir
— Mikhail Rogov 🇷🇺 🇵🇸 🇱🇧 🇸🇾 (@MishaRogov) September 14, 2024
🇺🇦 Ukraine’s military leadership proposed to “mobilize” 450,000-500,000 additional conscripts‼️
I think we’re gonna start seeing this kind of videos a lot more frequently now 👇
To the last Ukrainian… pic.twitter.com/12zrTC65Xg
— Gabe (@GabeZZOZZ) December 19, 2023
