kraine is weighing putting an end to mandatory military conscription as Russia is conducting a recruitment push to make up for manpower shortages in the ongoing war.
Ukrainian Prime Ministry Denys Shmyhal told journalists at a press conference Wednesday that the Soviet model of conscription should be "abolished" in former USSR member Ukraine, Forbes reported.
"Spending two years learning how to march makes no sense," he was quoted as saying. "The current situation has shown that men of a certain age should undergo short preparatory courses of two to three months. We are discussing this with our military, this discussion is ongoing."
While Ukraine considers ending mandatory conscription, Russia has been struggling to remedy a troop shortfall in the war that has lasted more than 200 days. Recruitment pushes in Russia have allegedly included offers of incentives like cash bonuses, including in an online ad calling for volunteers on a mental health ward's website.
Russian authorities reportedly even visited a St. Petersburg homeless shelter in an attempt to enlist military recruits. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has also been facing troop morale and discipline issues in Ukraine, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry.
According to a June 2022 U.K. report, men ages 18 to 27 are eligible for conscription in peacetime in Ukraine, though the country's law allows some to defer military service and exempts others.
"Women who are aged 18 to 60, in good health and who work in certain
professions (as defined by the Ministry of Defense) must register for military
service," the report said. They may be required to carry out military service in times of war, although there are
In peacetime, the period of conscription is 18 months for regular conscripts and 12 months for holders of master's degrees," it added.
Once Russia launched war, all men ages to 18 to 60 were required to register with local recruitment points and receive medical screening for potential service, The New York Times reported.
Instead of mandatory military conscription, Shmyhal said that Ukrainian men should take the preparatory courses, which would focus on how to use weapons so that they can defend their country when needed, every 10 years.
"When we do not waste people's productive time to serve two years in the army, but we also effectively prepare people with short, intensive courses for the challenges that the country may face in the event of a continuation or the onset of new aggression," Shmyhal said, according to Forbes.
It was not immediately clear when such a change could take place or if there is support among Ukraine's military for it.
Shmyhal also spoke about the importance of army reform and a transition to NATO standards, according to a release on the press conference from Ukraine's government.
"We are well aware that after the war, the army cannot operate using the Soviet standards. The army must become professional," he said.