Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief on "enlisting 500,000 more people": This figure dropped significantly after audit

Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has reported that following an audit of military units, Ukraine's General Staff has revised the figure regarding the issue of "enlisting 500,000 Ukrainians" downwards, though he gave no exact number for the Armed Forces' needs.

Source: Syrskyi in an interview with Ukrinform news agency

Quote: "After reviewing our internal resources and updating information about the combat structure of the Armed Forces, this figure has been significantly reduced. We expect that we will have enough people capable of defending our homeland. This includes not only those enlisted but also volunteers.

We must bear in mind that people are not robots. They get exhausted, physically and psychologically, especially in the context of hostilities. For example, the people who came to the territorial centres for recruitment in February 2022 need rest and medical treatment. Suffice it to say, the 110th Brigade has been fighting on the Avdiivka front since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. They need rest and recovery, and this is an objective necessity. And there are many such units."

Details: Syrskyi noted that Ukraine's General Staff is currently reviewing the composition of certain units not involved in combat operations based on an audit of their activities. This has made it possible to re-engage thousands of soldiers and send them to combat units.

"But even so, it is imperative to steer clear of drastic measures. All armies worldwide have personnel not involved in combat but supplying combat units. This is an equally important part of the process," he said.

The war that Ukraine is forced to fight against the Russian invaders is a war of attrition, a war of logistics. Syrskyi therefore believes the importance of the efficiency of units operating in the rear should not be underestimated. This refers to the system of supplying troops with food and ammunition, repair units, medical facilities and much more.

The general also stressed that "citizens who join the army under conscription are not sent straight to the front. However, there may be exceptional cases, for example, when a person already has combat experience".

The vast majority of these people go to training military units and centres. Syrskyi said the number of people undergoing such training as of February 2024 accounted for 84% of the total number of called-up individuals. Only after such training can they be sent to replenish military units to restore their combat capability.

Background:

• In December 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that at one of the recent meetings of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff, the military proposed to call up an additional 450,000-500,000 people.
• In January, the president noted that he saw no need to call up 500,000 more people.
• In March, Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said an assessment had revealed that such a scale of conscription was not necessary, given the rotations taking place on the front line and the supply of weapons.

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