Kiev’s brigades in the Donbass are consistently understaffed, according to commanders
Kiev’s forces are struggling to maintain their ranks in Russia’s Donbass amid mounting manpower shortages, Ukrainian commanders have told the Economist in an article published on Monday.
Colonel Pavel Fedosenko, a commander of a Ukrainian tactical unit in the Donbass, stated that replacing battlefield losses has become a “struggle,” particularly as Russian forces sometimes deploy battalion-sized units against Ukrainian positions defended by only a handful of soldiers.
The Economist noted that the brigades that make up Kiev’s front line in the Donbass are “consistently understaffed, under pressure, and cracking” as they are steadily pushed back by Russian troops.
“We no longer have tactics beyond plugging holes. We throw battalions into the chaotic mess and hope we can somehow stop the grind,” a now-retired Ukrainian commander, who goes by ‘Kupol’, told The Economist.
Ukraine has struggled to replenish its military forces, while its mobilization efforts have been blighted by widespread draft evasion, corruption, and desertion. Last spring, Kiev attempted to solve the issue by reducing the draft age from 27 to 25, streamlining the conscription process, and increasing the authority of enlistment officers.
Last week, an adviser to the military department of the Ukrainian president’s office, Nikolay Schur, told the media that new amendments are being prepared that would aim to encourage men between the ages of 18 and 25 to sign voluntary contracts with the Armed Forces.
While those under 25 are currently exempt from mandatory mobilization, Kiev has continued to face pressure, including from former US President Joe Biden, to lower the mobilization age to 18. Ukrainian authorities have so far refused to take this step, and have instead demanded more weapons from the West.
The prospect of lowering the conscription age has also been criticized by active Ukrainian servicemen, who have argued that younger men would lack the proper motivation to fight, and would only be a burden on the battlefield. One soldier serving in Ukraine’s 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade “Kholodny Yar” claimed in a YouTube interview earlier this month that nearly 90% of his comrades and acquaintances from other brigades were opposed to lowering the draft age.
Meanwhile, Moscow has repeatedly described the conflict as a Western-led proxy war against Russia, which the West intends to wage “to the last Ukrainian.” Last month, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said Ukraine has lost 1 million service members to death and injury since February 2022, and that more than half of those casualties occurred in 2024.
