Former Ukrainian deputy defense minister leaves door open for women being mobilized

MOSCOW, August 27. /TASS/. Former Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar has suggested that women could be forcibly mobilized into the army, if the General Staff requests.

"The final word in this discussion should be left to the military, and specifically to the General Staff, because they determine the needs — how many people, in what quantity, and which specialties they require at a given time. It is important to understand that when a war lasts for such a long time, needs can and do change. We must be prepared for the possibility that the needs of the armed forces of Ukraine have changed and that these needs may change again depending on the situation at the front. What the General Staff will broadcast now depends on the calculations they are making," she said commenting on the possibility of forcibly drafting women in an interview, a fragment of which is published by the Strana publication.

Malyar held the post of deputy defense minister in 2021-2023, when the ministry was headed by Alexey Reznikov. Reznikov called for the mobilization of women on August 20.

On August 24, former US Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg during a visit to Kiev advocated for mobilizing women.

General mobilization was declared in Ukraine in February 2022 and has been extended several times. Initially, men aged 27 to 60 were subject to conscription, but in April 2024, the mobilization age was lowered to 25.

On May 18 of the same year, a law tightening the mobilization requirements came into force. Men try to buy their way out of serving in the army or leave the country however they can, often at peril to their lives. Military recruitment offices regularly holds raids and use force to try to draft civilians.

But even that's not enough to make up for Ukraine's shortfall of troops. The number desertions and unauthorized abandonment of military units is constantly growing. From time to time, the country raises the topics of mobilizing women and lowering the mobilization age.