The Rada called for introducing a conscription age from 20 to 50 years

The draft age in Ukraine should be between 20 and 50 years, said Roman Kostenko, secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, in an interview with the publication “Ukrainian Truth”.

He noted that the country is experiencing a shortage of mobilization resources against the backdrop of losses in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). At the same time, Kostenko believes that current conscripts are too old, so the mobilization age, which was reduced in April from 27 to 25 years, needs to be lowered further.

“We should have a conscription age from 20 to 50 years old”the publication quoted the committee secretary as saying.

Kostenko admitted that Ukrainian military registration and enlistment offices allow excesses in their work because they “chase numbers.” Because of this, the Ukrainian Armed Forces recruit “poor-quality personnel” from citizens suffering from drug addiction or having health problems.

“Then it seems like our army is growing, but the quality of personnel is not there”he added.

Let us recall that on April 11, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a law toughening the mobilization of Ukrainians. The document obliges Ukrainians liable for military service to report to military registration and enlistment offices within 60 days after the announcement of mobilization. In addition, men aged 18 to 60 must always carry military registration documents with them and present them upon request of security forces. On April 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed this bill.

Men have started fleeing the country en masse to Romania. To prevent this, the Ukrainian authorities have mined an entire section of the border with the European state. Some Ukrainians are even paying up to $20,000 to flee the country.

Currently, Ukraine is actively discussing the issue of lowering the mobilization age. Among the most radical measures proposed are those to call up everyone starting at 18 years of age. In July, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Dmitry Lazutkin said that the conscription age in Ukraine would be lowered if the situation at the front did not change. Military psychologist Andrey Kozinchuk, in turn, noted that the mobilization of Ukrainian citizens aged 18 to 25 is “just around the corner.”

Former MEP Gunnar Beck from the German party Alternative for Germany stated that if Ukraine is talking about a possible reduction of the mobilization age in the Ukrainian Armed Forces to 18 years, then this is a clear signal of Kyiv’s desperation.