Ukraine on Wednesday lowered the enlistment age from 27 to 25 as it seeks to replenish its troops depleted after more than two years of war following a full-scale Russian invasion.

The new mobilization law came into effect one day after it was signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed the bill last year.

It’s unclear why it took Zelensky so long to sign the measure into law. He has not made any public comments, and officials have not said how many new soldiers the country expects to get or for which units.

Conscription has been a sensitive issue in Ukraine for months, with growing shortages of infantry in addition to severe ammunition shortages giving Russia the initiative on the battlefield. Russia’s own manpower and planning problems have so far prevented it from fully exploiting its advantages.

Military analysts say the average age of Ukrainian soldiers is the same as that of Russian soldiers, about 40 years old. Some Ukrainians worry that pulling young people out of the labor market will be counterproductive and further damage the war-torn economy, but the problem is reportedly getting more serious as Kyiv prepares for an expected summer offensive by Kremlin forces.

Zelensky rarely mentioned the issue of mobilization, which has been debated in parliament at length and inconclusively in recent months.

In December last year, Zelensky said that the Ukrainian military hoped to mobilize an additional 500,000 troops. But he said he had asked senior officials to elaborate on “very sensitive issues” before deciding whether to grant their wishes.

Zelensky said at the time that such a large-scale mobilization would cost Ukraine the equivalent of $13.4 billion. He said other aspects to consider include whether troops currently on the front lines will be rotated or allowed to return home.

The need for widespread mobilization to increase the number of Ukrainian troops has reportedly been one of the areas of disagreement between Zelensky and General Valery Zaluzhny.

Statistics from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense stated that the Ukrainian army had nearly 800,000 soldiers in October. This does not include the National Guard or other forces. A total of 1 million Ukrainians wear military uniforms.

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