The age for military conscription may need to be lowered to 21, according to a former advisor to Zaluzhny.

Ukraine may lower the mobilization age to 21 years. This statement was made by Viktor Nazarov, a former advisor to ex-commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. According to him, recruiting younger individuals into the military is necessary for preparing reserves.

He mentioned this in an interview with BBC News Ukraine. He pointed out that Russia has adapted to the new conditions of war and is implementing a modified strategy.

According to him, the Kremlin does not engage in political discussions regarding casualties, allowing them to continuously send their soldiers into battle. Therefore, considering the mobilization and involvement of North Korean troops in the war, the occupiers will be able to maintain the intensity of hostilities. As a result, Ukraine will be compelled to lower the mobilization age.

“I do not support the idea that we should mobilize from the age of 18, as our partners suggest. At least we will probably have to do this from 21 years old,” Nazarov noted.

Reducing the Age for Mobilization

There is no unanimous support among Western partners regarding the issue of lowering the mobilization age. British partners agree that there are no good solutions to this problem. This is primarily due to the fact that there are very few young men in Ukraine. Of the 17 million 280 thousand men in Ukraine aged between 15-24, there are only 1 million 740 thousand individuals. Even if Ukraine were to mobilize all of its citizens without exception, it would not be able to outnumber Russia, which has four times the population and pays foreign mercenaries well.

Therefore, despite pressure from Western partners, a decision to pass such a measure in parliament is not currently planned. They are also vigorously denying rumors about preparing the army for the reception of mobilized youths.