- A Ukrainian commander said his unit has less than 40 infantry troops, but should have more than 200.
- Another commander told the Washington Post said his unit was similarly short of fighters.
- Tensions are growing in Ukraine over getting more troops to the front.
A Ukrainian battalion commander said his frontline unit has fewer than 40 infantry soldiers, a small fraction of what it should have.
Speaking to The Washington Post, the commander, who was not named as he was not given permission to speak to the media, said his unit should have more than 200 troops when fully equipped.
Another commander, in a separate infantry brigade, told the Post said his unit was similarly short of fighters.
Ukraine has been struggling to replace its frontline troops.
Oleksandr, another battalion commander, told the Post that his battalion had only been sent five new soldiers in the past five months, not including those who returned after being injured.
He also said that infantry personnel were being made to stay in their posts too long without being rotated out.
“They need to be replaced by someone,” he said.
“There is no one to replace them, so they sit there more, their morale drops, they get sick or suffer frostbite,” he added. “The front is cracking. The front is crumbling. Why can’t we replace them? Because we don’t have people; nobody comes to the army.”
The commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that their country needs around 500,000 new soldiers, two people with knowledge of the exchange told the Post.
Zaluzhny has publicly stated that Russia has an advantage in its ability to get more troops, while Ukraine cannot “improve the manpower levels of our armed forces without the use of unpopular measures.”
Zelenskyy has questioned if Ukraine has enough money to mobilize hundreds of thousands more soldiers, and said he wants to see more plans before he could advocate for such a move.
Tensions have been growing between the two men, and Zelenskyy could be looking to replace Zaluzhny amid disagreements over conscription and other issues.
One advantage Russia has over Ukraine is its significantly larger population. President Vladimir Putin’s iron grip also means that Russia can implement unpopular conscription measures with less fear of societal blowback.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is also facing shortages of ammunition and weaponry, something that is making it harder for existing soldiers.
Ukraine’s defense minister said last week that his troops are limited to firing 2,000 artillery shells a day, a third of what Russia can fire.
In the US, Senate Republicans are blocking $60 billion in aid that President Joe Biden wants to send to Ukraine.
Ukraine is considering boosting its conscription efforts, including by reducing the minimum age of conscription from 27 to 25.
It could also introduce stricter sanctions for anyone who evades the draft, while allowing those who have fought for 36 months to be demobilized.
A draft bill including these measures was approved by Ukraine’s parliament this week, but another vote is needed before it can be enacted and changes to the text are expected.
