Desperate for soldiers, Ukraine weighs unpopular plan to expand recruitment draft

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(22 Feb 2024)

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RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Lyman, Donetsk, Ukraine - 26 January 2024
1. Wide of a Ukrainian-made Bohdana self-propelled howitzer driven out from its cover
HEADLINE: Ukraine desperate for more soldiers to continue the war
2. Close of Ukrainian operator of howitzer
3. Ammunition being loaded into howitzer
4. Various of soldiers preparing to fire
ANNOTATION: When the Russian army invaded two years ago, Ukrainian men zealously rushed to the defense of their nation.
5. Wide of howitzer firing
ANNOTATION: Today, with the two armies virtually deadlocked along the front line, that spirit to enlist has faded: many Ukrainian men are evading the draft.
6. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Yurii (last name not given), commander of howitzer:
“I'm ready to fight as long as necessary, but we still need additional mobilization because all we can do now is barely holding the enemy back. And before us is the task of liberating all of Ukraine, including Donbas and Crimea, to reach the borders of 1991. The task is ambitious and, unfortunately, without additional mobilization, without new brothers, we will not succeed.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kyiv, Ukraine - 12 February 2024
7. Focus pull to Ukrainian man who wants to avoid being drafted
ANNOTATION: Some bribe their way out of the draft entirely, other strike deals to be placed at a safe distance from the fighting. Many are simply hiding at home.
8. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) anonymous, draft dodger:
“I have some doubts about me being useful at the frontline. Surely I could be trained to do something allowing me to kill lot of Russians. But for now, I don’t understand what I could do. I see myself more useful for my country being at home than on the frontline. This might change in the future, because as I said, you can’t be hundred percent sure in anything.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kyiv, Ukraine - 8 February 2024
9. Wide of recruits waiting for medical check
10. Various of recruit receiving medical check
ANNOTATION: Parliament is now considering lowering the enlistment age to 25 to increase the potential pool of recruits by roughly 400,000.
ANNOTATION: But the proposal is highly unpopular in the country. The government is struggling to find a balance between coercion and persuasion.
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Vadym Ivchenko, member of the Verkhovna Rada’s Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence:
“We know exactly, after this law, a lot of people will be mobilized, a lot of them will be sent to the battlefield, and a lot of families will lose their relatives. That we know exactly. We need, like the members of Parliament, to know from the armed forces if the situation can be changed, if they will mobilize more people and we can liberate more territories, till the next winter. That's our main question.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Lyman, Donetsk, Ukraine - 26 January 2024
12. Soldier loading howitzer
13. Wide of howitzer being fired
14. Howitzer being reloaded
ANNOTATION: With Russia gaining ground recently Ukraine now must decide whether a draft will actually affect the outcome of the war.
STORYLINE:
When the Russian army mounted a full-scale invasion two years ago, Ukrainian men zealously rushed to recruitment centers across the country to enlist, ready to die in defence of their nation.

Today, with Russia in control of roughly one-quarter of Ukraine and the two armies virtually deadlocked along a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, that spirit to enlist has faded: Many Ukrainian men are evading the draft by hiding at home or trying to bribe their way out of the battle.


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