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Kyiv
The Ukrainian Parliament on Thursday (Apr 11) passed a law that would govern how the country recruits new conscripts. A report by the news agency Associated Press said that the law was spurred by a request from the military command under former army commander Valerii Zaluzhny, who said Ukraine needs up to 500,000 recruits to boost army ranks.
The report said that exhausted Ukrainian soldiers, on the frontlines since Russia launched an offensive in February 2022, had no means to rotate out for rest, while many thousands of men continue to evade the draft.
The law brings into effect a host of changes to the current system by expanding the powers of authorities to issue draft notices using an electronic system.
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In a post on Telegram, Holos party lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said that the law was passed in its final reading with a majority of 283 votes after months of deliberations.
A message to Ukraine's partners
Lawmaker Oleksandr Fedienko said that the adoption of the law sent a message to Ukraine's partners that Kyiv was ready to retake its territory and it needed weapons. A report by the news agency Reuters said that the law is seen as crucial for Ukraine to address what military analysts have said are major manpower problems as it fights a better-armed and larger foe.
The bill's passage came days after Ukrainian Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Pavliuk called on citizens to enlist in the army or to be ready to serve in the army.
"We must realize, no one will be able to sit tight," Pavliuk said in a post on Facebook.
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"No matter how much help we get, no matter how many weapons we have, we lack people! The equipment doesn't drive by itself, the weapon doesn't shoot by itself, and the drone won't fly by itself," he added.
Russia launches fresh strikes on Ukraine
In the latest news from the Russia-Ukraine war, Russian missiles and drones struck Ukrainian power facilities across five regions on Thursday. A Ukrainian presidential aide said the strikes damaged facilities from the Lviv region on the Polish border to the northeastern Kharkiv region where electricity was cut for 200,000 people.
(With inputs from agencies)