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.A Ukrainian soldier on the left handles a drone before a planned flight over Russian positions in Ukraine's Kharkiv region on May 13.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also signed two other laws Friday, allowing prisoners to join the army and increasing fines for draft dodgers fivefold. Russia enlisted its prisoners early on in the war, and personnel shortages compelled Ukraine to adopt the new, controversial measures.Oleksii, 68, who runs a car repair shop in Kyiv, worries his business will have to shut down as he expects 70 per cent of his workers will be mobilized.
He said 60 of the 220 people working in Kaminsky's department will be eligible to be called up. "If they take 30 people from what we have, the problem is we don't have anyone to replace them," he said. 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.The Supreme Court last month said that 930 people were convicted of avoiding mobilization in 2023, a fivefold increase from the previous year.