Kiev will conscript 160,000 more troops over the next three months, according to statements from lawmakers and media outlets. More than a million soldiers have already been drafted, yet high losses have left the Ukrainian Armed Forces plagued by manpower shortages.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces had around 250,000 active-duty personnel at the beginning of 2022, a number that rapidly swelled once Vladimir Zelensky called up reservists and forbade draft-age men from leaving the country.

This spring, faced with mounting losses, Kiev lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 and significantly tightened mobilization rules, requiring potential recruits to report to conscription offices for “data validation.” These checks often result in people being immediately taken into the army and sent to the front line.

  • You wrote this, context is rather clear:

    I blame him for turning Ukraine into his North Korea. I blame him for trapping people, who die trying to cross the border by mountains/rivers, or hide at homes afraid to leave. I blame him for kidnapping people from the streets and sending them to the meatgrinder (so, killing them).

    • Bobr
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      018 days ago

      But what is the contradiction here? :)

      In my mind North Korea associates with people being unable to leave it (which you don’t deny), Zelensky did the same to Ukraine, therefore the analogy.

      • You are comparing a western nazi puppet who has to be forcibly stopped from comitting genocide with a communist country desperately defending themselves from west for 80 years and being a victim of genocide. Those are polar opposites even if they have some things in common, like i bet people in both countries also drink water.

        • Bobr
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          18 days ago

          There can be no justification for mass forbidding people to leave the country.

          country desperately defending themselves

          This is exactly the same justification Zelensky is using. Both are wrong.

          • What no historical materialism does to a mfer.

            Socialist countries in Europe also did restricted the freedom of travel and turned out for a good reason, to not be destroyed. Ukraine does this for a reason to murder its own people. You can’t even get a difference so basic, you should really stop.

            • Bobr
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              18 days ago

              Well, it seems that we won’t come to an agreement here.

              As I said, for me mass forbidding people to leave the country is unjustifiable. If some regime does it, whatever the reason, it deserves to be destroyed, and I wholeheartedly support the destruction of that regime. I wouldn’t like to live under such a regime and wouldn’t wish it for other people.

              And yeah, I’m not going to stop caring about mine and other people’s freedom :)