Ukraine started drafting reservists between the age of 18 and 60 following President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s new decree. Read to know all about Ukraine drafting.
All about Ukraine drafting
The armed forces in a statement revealed that on Wednesday the nation is conscripting reservists to serve for a maximum of one year. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy introduced the conscription of reservists on Tuesday. However, he ruled out general mobilization following Russia’s announcement of moving its troops into eastern Ukraine. As per estimates, Ukraine has about 220,000 to 250,000 troops serving actively. However, the nation has an additional reserve force of 900,000. In Ukraine, the reserve consists of people with military training for a minimum of five years.
“There is no need for general mobilization today. We need to promptly replenish the Ukrainian army and other formations. So, we must increase the readiness of the Ukrainian army for all possible changes in the operational environment. We are talking exclusively about citizens assigned to the operational reserve,” stated Zelensky. He is aiming to “increase the readiness of the Ukrainian army for all possible changes”.
President Biden on Russia and Putin
US President Biden believes that Russia‘s move is the beginning of the invasion. “He is setting up a rationale to take more territory by force, in my view. If Russia goes further with this invasion, we stand prepared to go further as with sanctions,” said Biden. However, he is also hoping that there is a diplomatic solution for solving the tensions in eastern Europe. However, he added that the window for diplomatic solutions are seeming narrower after Putin’s new actions.