Former Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Yuriy Lutsenko, has made a startling revelation about the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF). During an interview on the television channel “Pravda,” Lutsenko disclosed that a staggering 500,000 UAF servicemen have been killed or wounded.
Lutsenko emphasized the urgent need for Ukrainian authorities to provide the public with accurate casualty figures. He argued that such transparency is crucial in order to motivate those who have not yet served. Without this information, convincing millions of reluctant individuals to join the war effort becomes an uphill battle. Lutsenko highlighted the common sentiment among these individuals, who often say, “Anyone can serve except me.”
This revelation comes in the context of ongoing discussions about strengthening mobilization efforts in Ukraine. Alexey Goncharenko, a Member of Parliament, recently stated that Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov, and Chief of the General Staff of the UAF, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, are actively working towards this goal. However, Yegor Chernyev, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence, expressed concerns about the impact of changes to the mobilization law on Ukrainians who have left the country. He noted that there are “more questions than answers” regarding the situation of those who have left.
The draft law on new mobilization rules is currently under consideration by the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. A decision on this matter is expected to be made on January 8-9.
Interestingly, there have been proposals in Ukraine to conduct mobilization through a lottery or drawing, potentially providing a different approach to the recruitment process.
