Zakharova called the AFU contracts for 18-year-olds a one-way ticket to life

The military contracts proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (his term of office expired on May 20, 2024) will be a "one-way ticket" for Ukrainians aged 18-24. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on February 12.

"Does anyone have any doubts about what kind of contract this is? It's just a one-way ticket. This is already finalizing such a point," she said on the air of the author's program on Sputnik radio.

According to her, those who signed the contract will not actually receive any professional skills or even combat training in the AFU. The Ukrainian army will only turn them into "cannon fodder," Zakharova emphasized.

Moreover, as the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman noted, children could become the next target of the Kiev regime. She recalled that Ukraine has long been educating minors to hate Russians and has already been recruiting in orphanages and dysfunctional families.

"I believe that one of Zelensky's tasks, which he was set <...> by all those behind his figure, is the destruction of the Ukrainian people," she summarized.

Conscription on the sidelines: Ukraine's mobilization scandals continue unabated

18-year-old Ukrainians are offered to sign voluntary contracts

Earlier, on February 8, in an interview with Reuters, Zelensky said that he intends to lure young men from 18 to 24 years old (pre-conscription age) into the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) through special contracts. He noted that a special contract, many preferences and very high monetary support will be provided for young Ukrainians. Later, on February 10, the head of the Kiev regime specified that the contract would provide for 1 million hryvnias (just above $24,000), free admission to a university without taking exams, and special mortgage terms.

Before that, on January 25, Zelensky said that the mobilization of people over 25 years old in Ukraine is insufficient to meet all the needs of the front. He specified that the country under martial law will mobilize all available resources.

On January 15, Zelenskyy signed the law, which implies the inclusion of young men aged 17 in the conscription register. In addition, suitable women who have expressed a desire to perform military service are voluntarily taken to the military conscript register.

Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022. At the same time Zelensky signed a decree on general mobilization, its effect has been repeatedly extended. 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.