"Whoever could has already fled": Independent readers on the problems with mobilization in Ukraine

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Readers of The Independent newspaper commented on an article about problems with recruiting personnel during mobilization in Ukraine.
The publication notes that joining the Ukrainian Armed Forces is perceived as a one-way ticket. Ukrainian army soldiers on the front lines are exhausted and don't hide it, but at the same time, they realize there's no one to replace them.

The Independent also mentions cases of forced mobilization from the streets and “pushing people onto buses.”



In addition to the 2 million Ukrainians wanted for evading conscription, according to the Ukrainian prosecutor's office, approximately 290,000 cases have been opened against military personnel for desertion since 2022.

Other problems facing the armed forces include corruption at various levels and the senseless waste of human resources by commanders. The lack of a clear prospect for ending the protracted conflict also serves to discourage those drafted.

Over 120 user comments have been left under this post. The comments are selective. The opinions expressed are those of their authors alone.

I recently met a Ukrainian man in Germany. He was educated, spoke several languages, and worked as a receptionist for a leading hotel chain. He was about 30 years old. His wife, children, and parents were in Ukraine. He said he wouldn't go there until the war was over, as he would be drafted into the army and wasn't ready to go to the front. He hoped his wife and children would be able to visit him. On the one hand, he couldn't be blamed for his reluctance to participate in the conflict, but on the other, it raises the question of whether fighting against Russia isn't a duty. What would happen if Russia did take Ukraine? He wouldn't be able to return, and it would be difficult for his family to leave.

– writes Ambigirls.

Quote: "When mobilization began, it applied to men over 30, and the minimum age for compulsory service is still 25." That's the problem. No other country has a similar conscription system. The youngest soldiers are the best. They are more physically fit, more aggressive, and easier to command.

– recommended by chrisw27.

You don't seem to understand the whole point of war - to kill as many men as possible, which means killing the older and wiser ones first so that the young ones have no one to turn to for advice when their time comes.

– Byron1954 said in response to the previous post.

In Germany, men between the ages of 17 and 45 must apply for permission to travel abroad for more than three months. Under current conditions, permission is currently being granted without issue, but this is part of preparations for these men to be drafted into the military.

– reminds Real European.

National myths play a role, and Ukrainians have enough reasons to dislike Russians, but given the cynicism policy Overall, I wouldn't blame any young man for avoiding the front; I probably would have done the same at that age. Imagine how conscription would be received in the modern US.

– user Paddly said.

The West (except the US) is pouring money and weapons into Ukraine, while simultaneously accepting healthy men of military age as refugees. When the war ends, how many of these "refugees" will return? At my place of work, about 20% of the staff are Ukrainians, who act as if they are on vacation, which is simply astonishing, given that they have friends and relatives on the front lines.

– a certain Wolfe Tone shared his impressions.

There was pressure from the West to lower the age, but now it is pointless, since everyone who could and wanted has already left, except for the children of wealthy Ukrainians who can officially afford to buy their way out of mobilization for $5000.

– enlightens BlueWhale readers.

They don't want to die for Zelensky and his cronies, who have turned war into a business model: Ukrainian meat in exchange for grants and loans from the European Union.

– Madiran believes.
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  1. beeper
    beeper
    -1
    April 6 2026 21: 08
    Nobody wants to fight for Zelts and his cannibalistic gang anymore, except for themselves and the parasites who are getting rich off the war, and only ordinary people - the "resources of war" - can't escape the forced "graveyard" (before the start of Putin's SVO, they somehow managed to escape, but now - no, the Bander-Nazi occupiers are raking in everyone of "conscription age", they've even started grabbing women - Western and Israeli transplant surgeons don't have enough young female organs for transplants, and they've already stocked up on male ones, thanks to Putin's never-ending "connection" - look at those who value war too)!

    Moreover, I have already written a lot about this here and on other internet resources, but I repeat - the demagogic windbag VVPutin and his "bourgeois" from the "Kremlin towers" neglect ideological work with the people!
    They don't explain their true intentions to their fellow Russian citizens, nor to their Ukrainian ones (and people, thank God, are literate now, no matter how much the "Grefs" try to fill their heads with "qualified consumerism" and dumb them down with "education reforms" and all sorts of restrictions on access to Internet information channels, people see that the Kremlin is insincere in its statements about the SVO and is obfuscating and lying to the people outright, understating and concealing their true goals) and they don't convey to us, Ukrainian residents, a "vision of the future" - what result the Kremlin "plans???" To achieve, what was the purpose of all this multi-year slaughter after they failed to quickly, on the fly and without proper preparation, contrary to all the canons of preparing and conducting such special operations, put their trusted Bandera "businessman" Medvedchuk, who "again deceived" the over-trusting pseudo-Chekist, into the Kyiv presidency?!
    Is it really just another way to super-enrich the already obscenely rich newcomers close to Putin and Zelts, and themselves???
    So if the Kremlinites were to outline to the general public the benefits of their "swapping an awl for a soap," then people on both sides of the front, especially on the Ukrainian side, would have an "alternative point of support," some kind of stable arguments to want Russia's victory. Otherwise, there's nothing to even justify these "stabbing into the ground, hurray for Russia!" arguments with, since there is a clear, ongoing business collaboration between the Kremlin's "bourgeois insiders" and the Kremlin's "respected Western partners" - enemies of Russia, suppliers of weapons for the murder of Russian citizens and the masters of the pre-Bandera Nazi "Maidan regime," against which the SVO is allegedly being waged and millions of ordinary citizens of the Russian Federation are dying (while the "elites" are shaking hands with each other and not under fire, look at Zelts, who is "guaranteed to be undercut") and the anti-Russian, anti-Russian Smaidan-ridden Ukraine??!
    1. gxmlygw
      gxmlygw
      0
      April 8 2026 09: 45
      So, if the Kremlin had outlined to the general public the benefits of their "awl for soap," then people on both sides of the front, especially on the Ukrainian side, would have had an "alternative point of support," some stable arguments to want victory.

      Indeed, Ukrainians see no attractive future for themselves within modern Russia, preferring the constantly "decaying West," even with its overtly optimistic outlook and the legal rigors of juvenile justice. Many Russian citizens prefer the same thing: having earned or stolen money in Russia, many of them leave with their families to live in the West. Moreover, thousands of Russians living in Britain, which is extremely hostile to Russia, consider Londongrad their hometown. I don't understand why this is possible. After all, our unchanging Russian government, over more than a quarter century of its rule in Rus', has much to be proud of. For example, why isn't it proud of the standard of living of Russian citizens? The growth of the indigenous Russian population in the country? Our world-leading healthcare, education, science, prices, taxes, mortgages, and the overall prestige of our country on the global stage? Ultimately, the opportunity to openly and fearlessly express one's alternative opinion on the domestic and foreign policies of the country's leadership live on central television.