Zelensky warns Russia may plan another offensive later this spring or summer (File)
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bill on Tuesday lowering the age to enlist in the war from 27 to 25, a move that will help Ukraine increase its combat capabilities in its war with Russia.
The bill has been on Zelensky’s desk since it was approved by lawmakers in May 2023, and it’s unclear what prompted him to sign it. Parliament has been debating a separate bill to broadly tighten draft rules for months.
The move expands the number of civilians the military can mobilize to fight under martial law. Martial law has been in place since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukrainian forces are at a disadvantage on the battlefield and face ammunition shortages, with vital U.S. funding blocked by congressional Republicans for months and the European Union failing to deliver promised ammunition on time.
The president’s office did not immediately announce the bill’s signing. The parliament simply updated the entry for the bill on its website to read: “Returned with the signature of the President of Ukraine.”
Zelensky said last winter that he would sign the bill only if there were strong enough reasons to do so.
The Ukrainian leader said in December that the military had proposed mobilizing up to 500,000 more Ukrainians into the armed forces, which he said was a request from the then commander of the armed forces.
Ukraine has since changed the head of its armed forces, with new commander-in-chief Alexander Silsky saying last week that the figure was no longer current and had been “significantly reduced” following a review of resources.
A second bill signed separately by Zelensky would require men who are exempt from part of the military service because of disabilities to undergo another medical evaluation.
He also signed a third bill aimed at creating an online database of those eligible for military service. Both bills could help the military recruit more fighters.
A series of strict measures set out in earlier drafts of the bill were scrapped after public outcry.
Zelensky has warned that Russia may be planning another offensive later this spring or summer, and Kiev’s military has been stepping up efforts to build strong defenses along its vast frontline.
With the initial shock of the invasion long gone, the flow of Ukrainian volunteer fighters has decreased significantly, and numerous cases of desertion have been reported.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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