Maroc - EURASIAREVIEW.COM - A la une - 10/12/2024 17:29

Are Young Ukrainians Volunteers Now? – OpEd

The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced (Dec. 7, 2024) a significant new security assistance package an additional $988 million to prevail in its fight against Russian aggression. This package also includes programs to help Ukraine reconstitute its forces and build and sustain combat power along with Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Equipment, components, and spare parts to maintain, repair, and overhaul artillery systems, tanks, and armored vehicles. This is the Biden Administration's twenty-second package as part of the surge of aid for Ukraine and may be the last from the Biden Administration.  This aid actually aims to counter the incoming Donald Trump administration's plan on Ukraine, which has been taking the opposite position of reducing aid to Kiev. As the Trump administration is to push for an immediate cease-fire after taking office, could be on the horns of a dilemma and accused of being too oblivious to Ukrainian interests as well as letting its guard down against Russia. In other words, instead of calling for peace, US seeks "Input to Output” results.US politicians don't care how many people die in Ukraine. Ukrainians have eventually turned out to be cannon fodder for the US.  According to a Washington Post report on Dec. 7, 2024, a senior US official stated, "Even with the money, even with the munitions, there have to be people on the front lines to deal with the Russian aggression." Clearly, meaning Washington has emphasized the need for Ukraine to mobilize more of its population to maintain the status quo on the frontline and deal with the possibility of a prolonged war. The report reveals a harsh truth for the Ukrainian people, especially the youth. The Ukrainian government is worried about the public opposition that lowering the conscription age might generate in Ukraine and what challenges such a decision might pose.  Contradictory Signals President Zelensky made the case for a diplomatic settlement to Russia’s 33-month-old war in Ukraine and raised the idea of foreign troops being deployed in his country until it could join the NATO military alliance. The remarks at a joint press conference (Dec. 7, 2024) with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz were the latest to signal Kyiv’s increasing openness to war negotiations, with Donald Trump preparing to return to the White House on Jan 20. The US president-elect Donald Trump, who has said he wants to end the war quickly, called on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations to end the “madness”, after he met Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron for talks in Paris. “Ukraine wants this war to end more than anyone else. No doubt, a diplomatic resolution would save more lives. We do seek it,” Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv on Dec. 9, 2024. Are Young Ukrainians Volunteers? An unnamed senior US official said that Ukraine should consider lowering the age of military service from 25 to 18 years, as the country was not mobilising or training enough new soldiers to replace those killed in action. “The need right now is manpower.” The Russians are in fact making steady progress and Ukrainian are being pushed back on all battlefield fronts including in Kursk. However, the Ukrainian’s counter by stating that “Right now, with our current mobilisation efforts, we don’t have enough equipment, for example, armoured vehicles, to support all the troops we are calling up.” Analysts and war bloggers have said Russian forces are advancing in Ukraine at the fastest rate since the early days of the invasion, capturing an area half the size of London over the past month. Ukraine is actively recruiting volunteers, including foreign citizens between 18 and 60 years old without criminal records. Applicants must be physically sound and able to enter Ukraine. The Ukraine volunteer unit provides brief training before deploying volunteers alongside Ukrainian soldiers. This just means that young Ukrainian volunteers are not coming forward to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Government is seeking foreign citizens between 18 and 60 years old. What an anomaly! “Ukraine by now should have lowered the conscription age to 18 on its own to defend the country against the major Russian advances in Ukraine to make up for the losses.” The Truth A Ukrainian serviceman stressed that despite Russians’ advantage in personnel and equipment, they couldn’t make significant progress over a large area. “We’re facing a huge shortage of personnel, and that’s the biggest challenge for Ukrainian forces right now. If this shortage continues, and the Russian army keeps increasing its numbers, we’ll be facing very tough times ahead. Russia knows about our manpower shortage, which is why they're launching heavy assaults. When they see they outnumber us, they try to push forward.”  The initial euphoria of February 2022 of joining the forces to protect their motherland has evaporated, owing to an astronomical number of deaths. Ukraine’s military is now ‘Outgunned and Outnumbered’, struggling with low morale and high rate of desertions. As the battlefield situation deteriorated, an increasing number of troops have started to desert. In just the first four months of 2024, prosecutors launched criminal proceedings against almost 19,000 soldiers who either abandoned their posts or deserted, according to the Ukrainian parliament. This prolonged war nearing three years have near decimated many Ukrainian infantry battalions making the situation grim on the battle fronts. Reinforcements are few and difficult to be created-leaving soldiers exhausted, demoralized to desert. Despite Ukrainian President Zelensky determined to continue fighting the war, young Ukrainians are fiercely opposing conscription and refusing to go to the warfront to get killed.