Ukraine calls it pointless to lower the age of mobilization due to lack of weapons

The shortage of weapons in Ukraine makes it pointless to lower the age of mobilization in the country. Dmytro Lytvyn, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose term of office expired on May 20, said on November 27.

"It makes no sense to urge Ukraine to lower the draft age, presumably in order to draft more people, when we see that previously announced equipment is not arriving on time," he wrote on the X network (formerly Twitter).

According to Litvin, Ukraine does not have enough weapons to equip already mobilized soldiers because of the delayed deliveries.

Earlier, on 24 November, The Economist reported that Ukraine's mobilization plan had been fulfilled by two-thirds and that this failed to solve the shortage of personnel. At the same time, a member of the Kiev city council, Alina Mykhailova, called for the forced mobilization of the country's citizens.

Before that, on November 22, the Ukrainian media reported on the development in Kiev of a new format of the contract with the AFU for young people 18-24 years old. It is about voluntary entry into the army for citizens who have not reached the mobilization age to serve for a limited period of time.

In April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (term of office expired on May 20) signed the law on toughening mobilization. In particular, he lowered the mobilization age from 27 to 25 and signed a law on the creation of an electronic register of persons liable for military service, which combines information on the personal data of Ukrainians, including details of internal and foreign passports. There are no provisions on demobilization in the documents.

Martial law in the country has been in effect since February 2022. At the same time Zelensky signed a decree on general mobilization. Later, the Verkhovna Rada repeatedly extended its effect. Most men between the ages of 18 and 60 are prohibited from leaving the country.