An Update on the Ukraine Russia War: A Controversial Bill for More Troops

It has been almost 2 years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and unlike the first year of the war with several of Ukraine’s victories, Ukraine is now struggling with high losses from the Russian opposition.

Ukraine has been struggling against Russia, with drone strikes and attacks on the power grid, which have led to the country in desperate need for more troops. According to an article from AP, “(Russia is)…in control of roughly one-quarter of Ukraine and the two armies virtually deadlocked along a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.” As one could imagine, the will to enlist and fight is diminishing, and people are evading the draft through means of hiding in their home or bribery. This is where Ukraine had come up with this idea of a “mobilization law.”

This bill is still awaiting the signature of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however on Thursday April 11, the parliament had voted in favor of the bill which will heavily impact those who are evading the draft in Ukraine. According to a post on Politico, this “allows military recruitment offices to sue people who evade mandatory conscription and stiffens punishments for those who do not show up to their draft summons on time.” The bill also will allow local government to “help the military in mobilization efforts.” As expected, this new bill wasn’t very well received by the soldiers.

“This ambiguity shows us we’re being fooled,” says Ukrainian serviceman Yegor Firsov in a Facebook post. The justification of this bill was made by Ukrainian defense ministry spokesman Dmytro Lazutkin on Wednesday, saying that “”Currently, we can’t weaken the Defense Forces.” This justification, however, isn’t exactly reassuring to the soldiers, and “It says our efforts are not appreciated,” Yegor Firsov says. As mentioned before, this bill isn’t in effect yet as it awaits the approval of President Zelenskyy, however it is still facing criticism from soldiers deployed.

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SPARSH AIYAR

Former Editor in Chief at The City Voice | 1st Place Video Interview | MIPA 2021-22 Division 1 Digital Media Contest

Hey there! My name is Sparsh Aiyar and I'm the editor in chief of The City Voice. I also make videos on our YouTube channel, so please make sure to check that out! I'm a huge music nerd and I play a lot of guitar so if you also like guitar, feel free to reach out. If you have any questions about the City Voice, please feel free to contact me via gmail, I would be more than happy to help!