Ukraine must find ways to recruit more soldiers to its armed forces and prepare for future Russian attacks. This is reported by several US officials For the Washington Post.
According to sources, Ukrainian forces are not ready for major offensives until next year. Although Russia has lost more than 300,000 soldiers, according to US estimates, it still has the superiority in terms of soldiers and weapons.
On the other hand, according to the Americans, Ukraine has succeeded in protecting its vulnerable areas in the northern and eastern parts of the country. In addition, Ukraine was able to put the Russian Black Sea Fleet on the defensive.
A growing problem
Earlier this month, Ukraine introduced new legislation that toughened penalties for military service evaders and lowered the age of conscription by two years to 25. The move is part of the Army's efforts to increase the number of soldiers.
Last week, Ukraine finally got some good news from the United States, when President Joe Biden signed into law an aid package worth tens of billions. The bill has been stuck in Congress for months, but now with its help Ukraine is getting, among other things, more anti-aircraft equipment and ammunition.
– Manpower situation is a growing problem. Unless it's fixed, the aid package won't solve all of Ukraine's problems, writes Rob Lee of the Foreign Policy Research Institute for the Washington Post.
Loss stats reduced
The Ukrainian government has not said how many soldiers it needs this year and next year. President Volodymyr Zelensky's problem is how to increase the number of soldiers without a recruitment process that breaks the country's unity.
– Who are we to say “You need to recruit more men to go to war”? But at the same time, it's a real concern. New laws passed in the past few weeks will help them, but they need to mobilize more troops and find a way to bring Ukrainian troops to the front line, a source in the Biden administration said.
On the other hand, a Ukrainian legislative source told the Washington Post that he believed the loss figures announced by Zelensky were greatly underestimated. According to the lawmaker, the figure should be presented lower than reality so that it does not hinder mobilization and recruitment efforts. Zelensky said in February that Ukraine had lost 31,000 soldiers by 2022.
