A shortage of combat-ready troops has plagued Ukraine ever since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraine’s advances in drone technology and tactics have captured the world’s attention. Despite those innovations, one problem has plagued the country since the start of Russia’s invasion: a shortage of combat-ready troops. Ukraine always has been outmanned by Russia, but as the war drags through its fifth year, the need for personnel is increasingly acute, commanders and analysts say, with some units at only half strength.
There just aren't enough forces to fully exploit the battlefield advantages resulting from the drone innovations. Long-standing mobilization problems, including draft dodging and desertion, make it harder for Ukraine to build its reserves, according to military experts, resulting in only incremental changes along the 1,250-kilometer (775-mile) front line. Ukraine needs to be able to commit forces quickly without taking them from elsewhere on the front.
Otherwise, commanders have fewer options to turn a temporary advantage into a sustained operation, said Nick Reynolds of the U.K.-based Royal United Services Institute, a defense and security think tank. The shortage means that units can't be rotated often enough, he said, “leading to exhaustion and, in turn, exacerbating casualties.” The Defense Ministry, which in July underwent a shake-up by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is trying to tackle the problem with reforms to mobilization, training and the way the army is organized. Uneven performance by front-line units worsens the problem.
Weaker formations suffer heavier losses, creating a cycle of high attrition and constant replenishment. The ministry did not respond to requests for comment, but one of its officials summarized the problem by saying, “There just are not enough people.” Developing a new mobilization policy, including encouraging deserters to return to duty, is among the most sensitive issues under consideration, said the official, who was not authorized to brief the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was replaced by Yevhenii Khmara in the summer shake-up by Zelenskyy, had sought to reorganize the military around fewer but stronger units.
He wanted to reinforce those that performed well and disband the weaker ones. Khmara has said he wants to continue those changes. But the reforms will take time.
Yehor Cherniev, a member of parliament's defense committee, said lawmakers have yet to see mobilization initiatives. In June, Fedorov introduced reforms to military contracts designed to make infantry service more attractive by offering higher salaries and fixed terms of service. Convincing Ukrainians who have little incentive to fight is a major challenge after more than four years of war, and the country is struggling to recruit enough troops from its estimated population of 39 million.
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