Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny questions 'who should we fight with'
(Baonghean.vn) - Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny, in his speech at the Parliament, announced the shortage of soldiers and called on delegates to go to the front.
According to Ria Novosti, the New Voice (Ukraine) publication reported on January 4 that the National Security and Defense Committee of Ukraine, together with the command of the armed forces and the Ministry of Defense, began to consider the draft Law on the Mobilization of the Government. People's deputies and the military leadership began to discuss the possibility of amending the most controversial provisions of the draft law.
At the meeting, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny made an emotional speech. "I need people. Russia has mobilized 400,000 troops. With whom should I fight now? Either turn to the world and ask for troops, or the delegates sitting here will go to the front to fight, if they cannot mobilize troops" - General Zaluzhny said.
Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny has spoken out against the law requiring convicts and prisoners to be drafted into the army. He said it would take only 80 days to train new recruits, and called for more recruits to be recruited into the armed forces.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he had been asked by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to mobilize an additional half a million troops. In late December 2023, the government submitted a bill on military mobilization to the parliament.
The bill proposes to abolish compulsory service and deferment for people with disabilities; require those subject to military service registration to register for an electronic account, undergo a medical examination; and be present when called to the registration and enlistment agency, at the time and place specified in the summons.
The bill also requires the mobilized person to appear before the military commission within 60 days from the date of notification of mobilization; or within 20 days from the date of further receipt of the summons.
The bill would reduce the age limit for military service from 27 to 25. Failure to show up for military service would result in restrictions on citizenship rights, including the blocking of cards and bank accounts. The first vote on the bill will take place on January 10-12, 2024./.
