Zelensky lowers enlistment age due to shortage of soldiers

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bill on Tuesday lowering the age of enlistment in the military from 27 to 25.

The bill increases the number of civilians Ukraine’s military can mobilize in combat, something the military has been asking the government to do for months.

The bill comes as the country continues to grapple with military losses more than two years after being invaded by Russia.

Zelensky signed the bill nearly a year after Ukraine’s parliament passed it.

As the war continues, Ukraine is short not only of soldiers but also of ammunition, a situation worsened by delays in delivering promised aid from the United States and the European Union.

While Ukraine awaited aid, Russia racked up more and more battlefield victories.

However, Ukrainian drones struck two industrial facilities in Russia’s Tatarstan region, injuring some people, in what would be one of Ukraine’s deepest drone strikes on Russian territory, Russian officials said on Tuesday.

Tatarstan leader Rustam Minnikhanov said the attacks targeted facilities in Yelabuga and Nizhnekamsk, 1,200 kilometers from the Ukrainian-Russian border.

Ukraine did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack but typically does not comment on similar attacks.

Regional authorities said at least six people were injured in the attack.

Ukraine’s military said on Tuesday that nine of 10 drones deployed by Russia in nighttime attacks were destroyed by Ukrainian air defense systems.

The Ukrainian Air Force said the interception was carried out over the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Falling debris damaged two buildings, including a fire station, Dnepropetrovsk region governor Serhiy Lysak said on Telegram. Lessac said no one was injured.

The Russian military said on Tuesday it shot down two Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod region, the latest interceptions in a daily series of unmanned air strikes by both countries.

Hours before the Belgorod attack, the Russian Defense Ministry reported destroying six Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea.

Zelensky said in a nightly video address that he met with military and government officials to discuss the need to increase domestic drone production to defend against Russian incursions.

“Our defense industry must produce exactly what is needed for the war, in the quantity needed and in the time it takes,” Zelensky said. “Clearly, drones will be one of the decisive factors in the victory of this war, And it should be the Ukrainian factor, Ukrainian drones, Ukraine wins, which means we need more and more efficient Ukrainian drones.”

This article contains information from The Associated Press, AFP and Reuters.