IIn Ukraine, reservists will in future be able to be drafted into military service from the age of 25 instead of the current age of 27. A corresponding entry was published on the parliamentary website on Tuesday. Based on the birth rates at the end of the 1990s, a good 400,000 more men could be drafted to defend against the Russian attackers.
In view of the difficult situation at the front, President Volodymyr Zelenskyj stated the additional need for soldiers at up to 500,000 before the turn of the year. Army chief Olexander Syrskyj recently stated that the number was lower.
A decision is also expected next week that will tighten the rules for mobilization.
Zelenskyj also signed a law on Tuesday that will adjust military fitness. In the future there will only be “suitable” and “unsuitable”. Men who were previously classified as “conditionally fit” must appear again at the muster commission. With a third law, the head of state also paved the way for an electronic military register.
Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian war of aggression for more than two years.
Injured in Dnipro – kindergarten damaged
According to official reports, at least 18 people were injured in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro as a result of a Russian missile attack. Among them are five children who are now being treated in hospitals, said the governor of the central Ukrainian region, Serhiy Lyssak. President Zelenskyj said in his evening video address that a university and a kindergarten had been damaged. Against this background, Zelenskyj once again called for more international help in air defense.
“NATO Mission Ukraine”: Secretary General wants to expand the alliance’s role
According to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, NATO should have a significantly larger role in supporting Ukraine. As several diplomats confirmed to the German Press Agency, the Norwegian suggested, among other things, the establishment of a special NATO mission for the country attacked by Russia. The core task of the “NATO Mission Ukraine” would, if approved by the member states, be the coordination of arms deliveries and training activities for the Ukrainian armed forces. The USA is currently responsible for this coordination.
Stoltenberg's idea was to make support for Ukraine less dependent on political developments in individual alliance states, it was said. This is particularly true given the possible return of Donald Trump to the White House as president. This raises the concern that the Republican could then significantly reduce or even stop US support for Ukraine.
In Paris, Blinken insists on further support for Ukraine
In Paris, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted on continued support for Ukraine in defending itself against Russia's war of aggression. “We have reached a critical moment when it is absolutely crucial to continue to provide Ukrainians with the defense support they need, especially when it comes to ammunition and air defense,” Blinken said during a visit to French defense contractor Nexter.
The US Secretary of State was cautious about the question of whether attacks on Russian oil refineries were the right strategic approach for Ukraine. “When it comes to Ukraine, our view and policy from the beginning has been to do everything in our power to help Ukraine defend itself against this Russian aggression,” Blinken said. “At the same time, we neither supported nor enabled Ukraine’s attacks outside its territory.”
Russia's Defense Ministry confirms new naval chief
Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, confirmed reports of the appointment of Admiral Alexander Moiseyev as the new commander-in-chief of the Navy. The 61-year-old, who previously headed the Russian Northern Fleet, replaces Nikolai Yevmenov, who has held the post since 2019, as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced.
Moiseyev's previous position as head of the Northern Fleet will be taken over by Vice Admiral Konstantin Kabantsov. Following another decree from President Vladimir Putin, Vice Admiral Sergei Pinchuk was also appointed as the new commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Official reasons for the reshuffle were not given. However, in the course of the war started by Moscow, the Russian Black Sea Fleet repeatedly suffered heavy losses from Ukrainian attacks. According to Kiev, the enemy fleet lost almost a third of its combat ships.
What will be important on Wednesday
The foreign ministers of the NATO states plan to meet in Brussels this Wednesday to advance preparations for the next alliance summit. Specifically, the focus will be on the question of how support for Ukraine can be made even more effective.