A divisive mobilization law in Ukraine came into force on Saturday, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive that some fear could close in on Ukraine’s second-largest city.
“With the new law, people will be mobilized and we will have to shut down and stop paying taxes,” Oleksii told the Associated Press on Saturday. He said it’s very difficult to replace workers because of their specialized skills. Most of them are already in the armed forces, he said, adding that the law is “unfair” and “unclear.”
Meanwhile, Oleksii Tarasenko, a deputy commander of a Ukrainian assault battalion, told AP that his men felt “awful” about the law’s failure to address the issue of demobilization. Although many Ukrainian troops have been fighting since the war’s early days, it remains unclear when and how they might be relieved of duty.
Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians, but thousands have died or suffered injuries in the more than 27 months of fighting. “Those who are afraid of being mobilized are not the ones hostage to this situation, it’s those who are standing in formations of three where there should be 10. Those guys are hostages to this situation and they should be replaced, so that’s why we are here,” Rohas said.