Higher mortality if young men sent to front, Ukrainian academician warns

Ukrainian academician Ella Libanova has warned that the mortality rate will be significantly higher if young people are sent to the front, noting that this would simply undermine Ukraine’s future.

A member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine also specialising in demography said there are currently around one million young men aged 18–24 in Ukraine; however, this does not mean that all of them could be mobilised, as some are studying while others may have grounds for deferment, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media.

Libanova also cited data from the Second World War. According to her, the mortality rate was highest among those aged 18–20.

“Apparently, they still lack the instinct for self-preservation and behave too recklessly at the front. Perhaps from the point of view of carrying out tasks this is not bad for a soldier, but the mortality rate was extremely high precisely among such young people,” she added.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov