A contentious bill that would control the recruitment of new soldiers to bolster the nation’s exhausted military, which is finding it harder and harder to repel Russian forces, was approved by the parliament of Ukraine on Thursday.
The proposal, which has yet to be signed into law by President Volodymyr Zelensky, is considered essential for Ukraine to handle serious personnel issues as it battles a more powerful and well-armed adversary.
Thursday’s bill was approved in the midst of a growing Russian assault that has wreaked havoc on Ukraine’s energy sector in recent weeks. The main power-generating facility in the Kyiv area, the Trypilska thermal power plant, was entirely destroyed by Russian missile and drone assaults that occurred overnight, according to the authorities. These attacks also targeted infrastructure and power facilities in numerous other districts.
After months of discussions, the measure was passed in its final reading with a majority of 283 votes, according to a message posted on the messaging app Telegram by Holos party politician Yaroslav Zhelezniak.
Up to 500,000 more soldiers are needed by the Ukrainian military, Zelensky had previously stated in December. Since then, however, both Oleksandr Syrskyi, the head of the army, and Zelenskiy reduced that estimate since men may be rotated from the rear.
However, before the measure was put to a vote on Thursday, the parliamentary defense committee struck a crucial clause in the law that would have rotated out soldiers who had served 36 months in combat—a crucial commitment made by the Ukrainian leadership.
Earlier this week, Oleksandr Pavliuk, the commander of the ground troops, urged Ukrainians to enroll in the military or to prepare for military duty.
“We must realize, no one will be able to sit tight,” he wrote on Facebook. “No matter how much help we get, no matter how many weapons we have, we lack people! The equipment doesn’t drive by itself, the weapon doesn’t shoot by itself, and the drone won’t fly by itself,” he added.
