Over-60s from “Steppe Wolves” unit voluntarily aid Ukraine’s frontline troops
Despite not being official military, the elderly volunteer unit "Steppe Wolves" comprising mostly 60+-year-olds aids the Ukrainian troops by operating makeshift rocket launchers, using repaired munitions and enemy weapons.
With Ukraine facing a shortage of soldiers, an elderly volunteer mobile artillery unit called the Steppe Wolves company-tactical group unofficially assists the army in combating Russia’s invasion, Reuters reports.
The unit comprises dozens of Ukrainian men, mostly over 60 years old, considered too old for military service under current mobilization rules. The unit also includes some younger members deemed unfit for combat.
Mobilization age
The sixty-plus-year-olds cannot be officially drafted under Ukrainian legislation, with the age range for conscription currently set between 18 and 60 years old and men aged 25 and above specifically eligible for mobilization.
“My age might prevent me from being recruited, but it doesn’t stop me from fighting,” he said earlier in an interview with RFE/RL.
Facing a manpower shortage as Russian troops gradually advance in the east, Ukraine, under Zelenskyy’s recent directives, has lowered the mobilization age from 27 to 25 and introduced stricter penalties for draft evasion to bolster its military efforts.
Last December, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the country’s military leadership has proposed mobilizing an additional 450,000 to 500,000 conscripts for Ukraine’s Defense Forces. Later, however, he said he saw no point in mobilizing this many.
The new mobilization law, however, has been criticized for still allowing many ways to evade mobilization, which prevents fair conscription. Moreover, many military and civil society figures believe that the long-awaited law fails frontline soldiers by excluding crucial provisions for troop rotation and demobilization.
Steppe Wolves Commander Oleksandr Taran told Reuters he believes that coercion cannot replace genuine enthusiasm in recruits. A truly motivated individual is essential for persistently fulfilling tasks and defeating the enemy, according to him.
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