In the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), a «tragic» shortage of personnel may soon occur, Alexei Bezhevets, adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on conscription issues, said on March 4 in a comment to The Washington Post.

He called on Ukrainians of military age to accept the fact that now is «not the time for them to stay at home,» linking this to the fact that otherwise the Russian army «may very soon come much closer.»

At the moment, the AFU is already short of ammunition, weapons and shells, Bezhevets added. According to him, if a shortage of soldiers is added to these factors, it will be a «tragedy.»

Earlier, on March 1, a protest rally was held in Kiev near the building of one of the military enlistment offices in the Dnipro district of the city, the participants of which demanded that the Ukrainian authorities change the conditions of mobilization and rotate the military at the front. It was attended by about 100 people who came out with posters.

Prior to that, on February 29, the British newspaper Daily Mail reported that «gangs of forced recruitment» into the ranks of the army were operating in Ukraine. It was noted that recruiters forcibly take to the front «Ukrainians who do not want to fight and are insufficiently prepared», who are unable to pay off with bribes.

On February 12, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed laws on the extension of martial law and general mobilization until May 13, 2024.

Martial law in Ukraine has been in effect since February 2022. At the same time, Zelensky signed a decree on general mobilization. Later, the Verkhovna Rada repeatedly extended its validity. Most men between the ages of 18 and 60 are prohibited from leaving the country.

The special operation to protect Donbass, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was made against the background of the aggravation of the situation in the region due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.