“There is a fear of sacrificing Ukrainian youth,” says military specialist

While the age of mobilization is lowered to 25 years in Ukraine, General Jérôme Pellistrandi, guest on franceinfo, believes that this measure was necessary.

The text which entered into force on Wednesday April 3 in Ukraine could change the situation for thousands of young people. The age of mobilization is lowered to 25 years instead of 27 years as was the case until now. In a context of difficulty on the front for the Kiev troops, facing the Russian army, the Ukrainian president has therefore decided to expand this conscription. General Jérôme Pellistrandi, editor-in-chief of the magazine Défense nationale, was the guest of franceinfo.

Franceinfo: Was this measure necessary for Ukraine?

Jérôme Pellistrandi: The Ukrainian command knows perfectly well what the military situation is. And so there is no question of sending young conscripts like that to the front line. So there is a lot of preparation work, training, training, and it is a measure which makes it possible to anticipate what could happen in the coming months, and in particular with the fear of a Russian offensive which could take place at the end of spring.

Why did you choose 25 years old when certain armies at war mobilize from 18 years old?

The problem is old for Ukraine. It is a country which is in demographic decline, even before the outbreak of the war wanted by Vladimir Putin, on February 24, 2022. It is a country where there has been a strong departure towards European countries. There is this fear, in a way, of sacrificing youth and therefore of sacrificing the future of the country. The average age is 43, which is extremely high for an army in combat. So, going down from 27 to 25 years, it allows us to somehow give a breath of fresh air to an army which is very tired after more than two years of war.

The army’s recommendations spoke of mobilizing 450 to 500,000 men, but impossible to subscribe to. This is also why Volodymyr Zelensky changed commander-in-chief…

Of course, and all the more so since these soldiers must be trained. It is considered that it takes at least four months to train a soldier. And when we say four months, that’s just for initial training. It is then necessary to train him in specialties. It’s all very complex work and it’s done in times of war. Ukraine is at war and this is why European countries, including France, are very active in training Ukrainian soldiers. But it is true that it is an extremely painful political choice for President Zelensky.

There are quite few volunteers. Why are Ukrainians reluctant to defend their country against the Russians?

National unity has been achieved. The Ukrainian population considers Russia to be truly the aggressor country. And on that side, there is no ambiguity. Now, after more than two years of war, it is in a way questions of individual journeys, of destiny. Especially since the losses are significant. Of course, we do not know the official figure, but it is estimated that at least 100,000 soldiers may be killed and wounded. In the streets of the capital or large cities, we can see what we call “broken faces”, these wounded, amputee soldiers… And so there is this individual fear. That is to say that yes, the young Ukrainian is ready to defend his country, but when it affects him, there is this legitimate fear. This is why, after two years of war, it becomes extremely difficult.