The Ukrainian parliament published a legislative proposal late on Monday to lower the age criterion for combat duty from 27 to 25 years old.
The minister of defense, Rustem Umerov, endorsed a note of explanation outlining the principal provisions of the proposed legislation, which states that it “raises the age of conscription from 27 to 25 years.”
Ukraine and Russia traded assertions regarding downed military aircraft on Sunday. Ukraine refuted Russia’s claim that its forces had seized the eastern Ukrainian regional center of Maryinka on Monday.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said at his end-of-year news conference on Dec. 19 that the military had proposed mobilizing 450,000-500,000 more Ukrainians, but it was a sensitive issue that the military and government would discuss before sending it to parliament. “This is a very serious number,” Zelenskiy remarked.
Ukrainian troop numbers are unknown, but they have been estimated at 1 million.
The government is nearing completion of the bill, which will be introduced on Monday, according to David Arakhamia, the head of Zelenskiy’s party in parliament.
