Ukrainian conscripts<\/p>\n
Most Ukrainians expect their country to win in the armed conflict with Russia, but just 8% are willing to fight to further their cause, the head of a leading Kiev-based polling agency\u00a0has\u00a0claimed, in an interview published on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The Ukrainian leadership has said that it is seeking to boost the military\u2019s ranks by up to 500,000. Additional troops are required to relieve forces on the frontline, some of which have not been properly rotated in years, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has claimed.<\/p>\n
Vladimir Paniotto\u00a0of the International Institute of Sociology\u00a0discussed how the Ukrainian people’s worldview is reflected in research conducted by his organization with local news outlet Ukrainskaya Pravda.<\/p>\n
They tend to \u201cwish for conflicting things,\u201d<\/em> he mused, such as capitalist liberalization alongside robust social support by the state, or democracy as well as the \u201cstrong arm\u201d<\/em> of the government. The conundrum is present in what Ukrainians are willing to do to defeat Russia \u2013 an outcome that they overwhelmingly believe will end the ongoing hostilities.<\/p>\n \u201dCertainly, many people are willing to act, to send donations or work as volunteers,\u201d Paniotto said. \u201cBut facing a direct risk to life and taking part in military action \u2013 that is much harder\u2026 We estimate that the share of those willing to take arms is roughly 8% across all categories.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The figure may be overestimated, since the pollster takes the responses at face value without conducting follow-up studies to confirm the respondents\u2019 true intentions. The Institute \u201chas been trying to avoid surveys directly related to the military action\u201d<\/em> because mobilization is a \u201csensitive issue\u201d<\/em> of state policy, he explained.<\/p>\n The Ukrainian parliament is considering a major reform of the military system, which would facilitate the draft, including by imposing serious penalties for evasion. Fighting-age Ukrainian men residing in foreign nations, for example, would not be able to replace their expired passports without the consent of a conscription officer after the bill goes into force, MP Fyodor Venislavsky told the media last week. The lawmaker is a member of the parliamentary Committee for National Security, Defense and Intelligence.<\/p>\n The Russian military said on Tuesday that Ukrainian frontline losses since January have surpassed 80,000.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n