Russian Foreign Ministry calls it a matter of time to lower the mobilization age in Ukraine

It is a matter of time before the Ukrainian authorities lower the mobilization age. This was stated by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova at a briefing on 11 December.

"Lowering the mobilization age in Ukraine is, of course, a matter of time, everyone understands this, especially if the State Department[of theUnited States] has promised something material for this, some money in exchange for the lives of Ukrainian citizens," she said.

Zakharova noted that Ukrainian consulates massively refuse to issue passports to Ukrainian minors who are abroad and have not registered for military service, despite the fact that earlier they informed about the possibility to register in the register of conscripts remotely.

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Earlier in the day, the Russian Foreign Ministry suggested that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (his term of office expired on May 20) and his entourage were considering the issue of lowering the mobilization age solely as an item for bargaining with the West.

The day before, Zelensky rejected a proposal to mobilize 18-year-old Ukrainians in exchange for compensation for a shortage of military equipment. He added that the goal should be to save as many lives as possible, not to keep weapons in storage.

Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022. At the same time Zelensky signed a decree on general mobilization, it has been extended several times. Most men between the ages of 18 and 60 are forbidden to leave the country. In April 2024, the head of the Kiev regime approved the law on tougher mobilization.