The average Ukrainian soldier is in his forties and there is a solid number of elder soldiers, meaning that the course of the conflict will “depend on mobilizing the young,” a Bloomberg op-ed has argued.
The article stresses that Zelensky has been quite vocal about which weapons the Kiev regime needed, however, it admits that Zelensky "is quieter on the much more sensitive matter of the need for men."
While some elderly people are useful on the front lines, they generally suffer from various conditions and are not the best choice for the battlefield.
Meanwhile, young Ukrainians prefer to dodge the draft at any cost, while mothers who fled the country with teenage sons are also reluctant to send them back.
In April, Ukraine partially suspended its adherence to the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – one month before its draconian mobilization law came into force. The new legislation lowers the minimum conscription age from 27 to 25 and introduces fresh measures that help to press-gang Ukrainians into military service.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, since the start of the special military operation, Ukraine has lost up to half a million soldiers and is running dramatically low on human resources.