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KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy known as on his army to provide him an in depth plan earlier than approving a requirement to conscript as many as 500,000 troopers to affix the nation’s battle effort.
“The mobilization of an extra 450,000 to 500,000 individuals will price Ukraine 500 billion hryvnia [€12 billion] and I want to know the place the cash will come from,” Zelenskyy mentioned throughout a Tuesday press convention in Kyiv. “Contemplating that it takes six Ukrainian working civilians paying taxes to pay the wage of 1 soldier, I would wish to get 3 million extra working individuals someplace to have the ability to pay for the extra troops.”
Ukraine is beneath strain to extend its forces to take care of its bloody battle of attrition with Russia, and in addition to permit exhausted front-line troops to rotate away from the combating to relaxation and recuperate.
Zelenskyy mentioned he desires to see a battle plan and a undertaking to demobilize these troopers who’ve been combating the Russians for nearly two years. These calls for are one of many causes of Zelenskyy’s ongoing rift with Ukraine’s prime army commander, Valeriy Zaluzhny.
“As of now, I didn’t see demobilization of their plan. And that may be a No. 1 query, a problem of justice for these combating on the battle entrance for therefore lengthy,” Zelenskyy mentioned.
Ukrainian lawmakers and the army are at present engaged on modifications to the prevailing mobilization invoice that features decreasing the conscription age from 27 to 25 and presumably beginning to conscript ladies. At present, greater than 40,000 ladies serve within the army as volunteers.
Nonetheless, that is a line Zelenskyy will not cross.
“I received’t signal the necessary mobilization for girls. However the reducing of conscription age — that I’ll signal,” the president mentioned.
Zelenskyy mentioned it was “very severe” to contemplate drafting half 1,000,000 extra individuals, and added he wanted extra arguments as a result of “it is a query of individuals, justice, protection functionality, and funds.”
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