Officially, neither Ukraine nor Russia acknowledge the acute shortage of personnel on the frontlines. Nevertheless, both countries are actively expanding their capabilities to mobilize new groups of people.

Ukraine is lifting restrictions on mobilization

According to reports from various media outlets, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has permitted the mobilization of individuals with limited fitness for service. In particular, individuals with the following medical conditions are considered fit for military service during mobilization:

• Clinically cured tuberculosis,
• Asymptomatic HIV,
• Mild, short-term manifestations of mental disorders, and some others.

Furthermore, starting from October 1, employees in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors will be required to register for military service.

Certain categories of women will also be required to register for military service. This includes female doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. Mandatory registration for these categories will be effective from October 1, 2023. Women can be registered if they are eligible for military service based on age (up to 60 years old) and health condition. For other women, military registration is officially voluntary.

Authorities intend to abolish deferment for students pursuing second or third education, but this will only apply to those who are over 30 years old.

Additionally, Russia is seeking mercenaries in Central Asia

Kazakhstani political analyst Marat Shibutov, in his Telegram channel, writes that «there are a bunch of posts on Zen and Telegram about how bad Kazakhstan is and how there’s Russophobia towards relokants (Russian-speaking migrants). It seems like mobilization is imminent, and they want to prevent people from fleeing as they did last year.»

Simultaneously, the British publication The Daily Mail reports that Russia has intensified advertising to attract mercenaries in Central Asian countries and Armenia. They promise a one-time payment of 495,000 rubles and a monthly salary of 190,000 rubles. However, mercenary activities are considered a criminal offense in these countries, and there have been cases of convictions for such activities.

The topic of an impending mobilization remains popular among various experts. It is evident that both countries are facing a shortage of human resources on the frontlines, as the furnace of war consumes too many lives.