Ukraine mobilises 27,000 people monthly, Russia 40,000–50,000, says Zelenskyy

Ukraine can mobilise 27,000 people a month compared to Russia’s 40,000–50,000, but weapons and technology are more critical than numbers, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with the Hungarian publication Válasz Online

Quote: "Mobilisation is a problem in every war. Ukraine is no exception, as we want the war to end. People are getting tired. We can mobilise 27,000 people a month, while the Russians can mobilise 40,000 to 50,000 because their losses are greater. Mobilisation is possible in our country because of the state of war. No one else has any experience in how to stop Putin. We were the ones who stopped him."

He added that Ukraine has not mobilised 18-to-24-year-olds but has instead offered them one-year contracts.

"I have never spoken about this before, but since you asked, I will tell you what I think, because it is a sensitive issue: I do not believe that we should mobilise people from the age of 18, as the leaders of other countries have thought. Operation Spider’s Web has shown that it is not the number of people that matters, but weapons and technology," Zelenskyy said.

He added that sanctions should target Russian funds used to finance the war. However, Western partners cite the fact that Ukraine has not conducted conscription since 18 years of age as one of the reasons why they did not dare to impose sanctions.

"To be honest, we gave 18- to 24-year-olds the opportunity to show that they can serve if our partners want them to. We have now given them that opportunity, in accordance with our legislation. But in the meantime, thousands are fighting on the front lines without adequate weapons," Zelenskyy said.

Background:

• On 19 November 2024, then US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that Ukraine had received a significant supply of various weapons from the US but continued to face challenges on the battlefield, and he attributed these difficulties to mobilisation issues.
• The media subsequently reported that the Biden administration was urging Ukraine to rapidly increase the size of its armed forces, including by revising its mobilisation legislation so that people can be drafted into the army from the age of 18. Media outlets reported that arguments over mobilisation rates and age in Ukraine have caused tension between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and then US President Joe Biden.
• On 19 December 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, commenting on discussions about a potential lowering of the mobilisation age, said that it was more urgent to provide the army with weapons and training from the West.
• In November 2024 The New York Times reported that Russia had been continuing to endure heavy losses in its war of aggression against Ukraine, with October recording the highest number of casualties since the full-scale invasion began. However, the Russian army is far from exhausted. In the first half of 2024, Russia managed to mobilise approximately 900 recruits per day.
• In January 2025, Mike Waltz, Donald Trump’s then incoming National Security Adviser, believed that Ukraine should lower the draft age in order to bring in hundreds of thousands of new troops and stabilise the front line.

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