Discussions are ongoing in Ukraine regarding a possible lowering of the mobilization age. Military serviceman Ihor Lutsenko emphasized in an interview that Ukraine needs to focus on the qualitative reconstruction of the army in accordance with modern requirements, and not to look for solutions to problems due to lowering the conscription age.
Lutsenko believes that Ukraine already has enough men of draft age who do not serve in the army. He emphasized the importance of analyzing the reasons why these young men did not stand up for the defense of the Motherland, pointing out that the mass phenomenon in the army related to the "defense support system" (SOS) is the result of unresolved problems in the structure of the military forces. In his opinion, the involvement of even younger mobilized people will not solve this problem.
"I believe that this issue is a diversion of attention, a shift from a sick head to a healthy one. We are not looking at the essence of the problem before our eyes," Lutsenko noted.
The Chairman of the Council of Reservists of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ivan Tymochko, noted that lowering the mobilization age to 21 depends on the phase of hostilities. According to him, it is important to prepare society for resistance, and decisions about age categories should be made by military commanders.
ATO veteran and military expert Yevhen Dykiy also supported the opinion that there is no need to lower the mobilization age in Ukraine. He emphasized that there is a large mobilization reserve in the country, sufficient to replace the existing composition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
