Ukraine’s attempts to rebuild the army as its war with Russia grinds on are being marred by growing public resistance and violent clashes, highlighting the social strains of Kyiv’s mobilization campaign.
The recruitment drive has come under attack over the past few months as officers attempt to implement mobilization laws. Over the past five years, the Ukrainian authorities have recorded an increase in attacks against recruitment personnel.
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They reported more than 100 incidents so far this year, including in the city of Lviv, when last month a crowd surrounded a recruitment car, kicking its sides and attacking a police officer who arrived at the scene.
The manpower problem for Ukraine is also due to a large extent to many years of combat operations that have already depleted the number of potential volunteers, leaving many experienced soldiers stressed out on the front line, writes Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Ukraine’s mobilization efforts face reduced voluntary recruitment and soldier fatigue, as well as increasing numbers of absent personnel, and growing public unease over the system.
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Many Ukrainian citizens of conscription age have expressed doubts about the risks associated with deployment to the front, the lack of defined deadlines for demobilization, and the perceived unevenness of the recruitment process.
This has contributed to discussions about the country’s mobilization procedures.
The Ukrainian government reiterates the necessity of mobilization in times of war, while at the same time emphasizing efforts to improve accountability and transparency. “Attacks on recruiters are an act against state power and directly impact Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian aggression.
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These actions weaken the entire defense effort,” warned a spokesman for the National Security and Defense Council.
The conflicts highlight one of the biggest wartime problems for the country – maintaining an adequate number of personnel while preserving the population’s faith in the recruitment system.
