Media: Kyiv mobilised 200,000 recruits amid battlefield challenges in 2024

Ukrainian and Western officials estimate that Kyiv drafted approximately 200,000 recruits in 2024 as it fights to hold the line against Russian advances. 

While this mobilization is a significant effort, it falls far short of the 500,000 troops proposed by former military chief General Valery Zaluzhny for 2024—a number President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed as too high, Caliber.Az reports, citing The Washington Post.

The strain on manpower is evident on the front lines. “I’m not telling you numbers, but it’s horrible,” said Taras, a deputy battalion commander fighting near Pokrovsk. “People are being called up to fight, but sadly we have losses, and these losses have to be replenished. And it’s truly not enough.”

Zelenskyy has resisted calls to lower the conscription age to 18, turning down suggestions from the White House. However, the recruitment drive underscores the mounting toll of a conflict that shows no signs of abating.

Declining Western support and Russia’s technological edge

Compounding Ukraine’s challenges is a decline in Western arms support, a lifeline that Ukrainian soldiers fear will continue to diminish. Without consistent military aid, many soldiers say, Ukraine lacks the resources to repel Russian advances.

Russia has maintained an artillery advantage and introduced new self-destructing drones controlled via fiber-optic cables, making them impervious to electronic jamming. These drones have proven highly lethal, further tilting the battlefield dynamics in Moscow’s favor.

A grim reality on the front lines

Currently, Russia occupies over 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory, stretching from the northeast to the Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea. Ukrainian troops fear that Moscow could push the front line further west, threatening major cities like Dnipro, home to approximately 1 million people.

Interviews with soldiers from six different brigades reveal skepticism about any potential ceasefire with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Many fear that Zelenskyy may be forced to make painful concessions, while others worry that even a temporary halt in fighting would only delay further aggression.

“Let’s be honest, the situation now is worse than at the start of the full-scale invasion,” said Taras, a captain in the 35th Brigade. “What can we negotiate now? We can only nod our heads and agree to their demands, and what they will demand is obviously going to be something that we don’t like.”

On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces report that they can fend off initial Russian assault waves. However, Moscow’s strategy of overwhelming its enemy with greater numbers eventually breaks through Ukrainian defences, especially after identifying weak points.

By Khagan Isayev