In grocery stores, workplaces, and amidst Kyiv’s bustling streets, Olha Bilianska observes a growing divide within Ukrainian society, concealing her frustration. Nearly two years have elapsed since her husband, a border guard, eagerly volunteered for deployment in Ukraine’s armed forces. It has been roughly six months since he sustained injuries from shrapnel while serving in the country’s east, and uncertainty shrouds his return home.
“I don’t understand why those who joined the armed forces first are still there protecting our country,” she laments, gesturing toward a bustling Kyiv street, where others “are just living their normal lives.” “It’s not fair.”
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly two years ago, Ukraine confronts a relentless war of attrition against a nation with over three times its population, an unequal struggle leaving soldiers and civilians weary. Yet, as Russia persists in seeking territorial gains in the east and south, delays in Western military aid exacerbate ammunition and material shortages, intensifying pressure on Ukraine’s leadership to bolster defenses by recruiting more soldiers.
The challenge lies in the approach. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that military officials proposed conscripting an additional 450,000 to 500,000 civilians to reinforce the armed forces and relieve soldiers on the front lines. Zelenskyy, cautious of the economic ramifications, sought further details to support the initiative.
Subsequently, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhny criticized draft offices and refuted claims of a specific troop increase. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s parliament deliberates legislation aimed at revamping conscription processes, initially proposing to lower the minimum draft age from 27 to 25. However, due to criticism, the mobilization bill was withdrawn for revision.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov emphasized the bill’s necessity for national defense, urging swift approval. The looming prospect of a prolonged war prompts a nationwide reckoning on the obligation to serve, igniting debates on the duration and scope of military duty.
For some, like Bilianska, broader enlistment is imperative, fueled by a sense of duty solidified by air raid sirens and missile strikes. Yet, for others, apprehension looms large. Men hesitate to leave homes, wives fret over husbands losing their lives, and mothers agonize over sons.
“Some people still believe that this war won’t get them,” Bilianska reflects. “It will get them. This war is cruel.”
