President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced Russia's intention to mobilize an additional 300,000 troops by June 1. He noted this during a press conference with the President of Finland in Kyiv.
According to Zelensky's forecasts, a new offensive by Russian forces is expected in May-June 2024. The president also expressed the opinion that the mobilization of half a million people into the Ukrainian army is too large.
He expressed his gratitude to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for conducting an audit in the army, stressing the importance of the fact that military personnel who have not been to the front before are ready to join combat operations. Earlier, Zelensky himself mentioned the need to mobilize 500,000 people.
The Ministry of Defense of Russia reported that more than 100,000 Russians have started service under a contract since the beginning of 2024.
In March 2024, Russian Defense Minister Serhii Shoigu announced his intention to create two combined armies and 30 units, including 14 divisions and 16 brigades, by the end of 2024.
Ukraine is facing serious problems in mobilization because there is not enough people at the front. The president previously noted that by the end of 2024, 500,000 people are planned to join the army.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine explained that the need for half a million mobilized men arises primarily to replace 330,000 exhausted soldiers at the front and to compensate for losses and meet other military needs.
However, according to the new statements of the Ministry of Defense, the need for people has slightly decreased. The General Staff conducted a review of the numbers of some units that did not participate in combat operations, which allowed thousands of servicemen to be released and sent to combat units.
In his first interview, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, noted that after analyzing internal resources, the figure of 500,000 was significantly reduced. It was also stated that persons who are called up to the army for mobilization are not immediately sent to the front if they do not yet have combat experience.
With regard to training after the draft, in February this year, this indicator was 84% of the total number of mobilized.
Recently, the president expressed indignation that it is difficult for Ukraine to defend its positions against the Russian army due to the lack of artillery and shells for it. He emphasized that the country is currently not ready to repel the expected Russian offensive, which is predicted at the end of May or in June.
