The decision comes as Russia is accused by the West of having massed more than 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine.
Article written by
Posted
Update
Reading time : 1 min.
Faced with Russian soldiers massing on its border, Ukraine is going to reform its army. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday February 1 a plan to end military service and replace it with a professional army, with the recruitment of 100,000 additional soldiers within three years.
The text provides for the creation of twenty new brigades, the end of military service by 2024, and better salaries and benefits for soldiers and their relatives. “This decree does not exist because the war is coming. It aims that there will soon be peace”, said the president. In a catastrophic state eight years ago, the Ukrainian army has been modernized with the help of NATO member countries, since the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 and the start of the conflict with separatists in east of the country.
Westerners accuse the Russians of having massed more than 100,000 soldiers and numerous military devices on the Ukrainian border in preparation for a possible invasion. Moscow denies any bellicose intention, but demands guarantees in exchange for a de-escalation, in particular the assurance that Ukraine will never be a member of NATO.