Ukrainians between the ages of 25 and 60, who currently live in Germany and are fit for military service, must join the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in 2024. This was stated by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, writes the German newspaper Welt on December 21.

As Umerov warned, anyone who does not comply with this requirement will be sanctioned.

«We are still discussing what will happen if they do not come voluntarily,» the media quoted him as saying.

In turn, the German Tagesschau news agency noted that the losses of the Ukrainian army are so high that the AFU needs more soldiers.

Earlier, on December 20, the Ukrainian military admitted that news of failures at the front discouraged citizens from joining the army. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) newspaper noted that the Kiev leadership hoped that the Ukrainian Armed Forces counteroffensive would eliminate the need to take «politically unpopular measures» to recruit young people in Kiev. However, the failure led to the opposite. The Ukrainian serviceman also added that his colleagues recognize the need for universal mobilization, which the country cannot do without.

Also on December 20, the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that after the adoption of the draft law on mobilization, the heads of Ukrainian enterprises may be required to personally deliver conscripts to territorial recruitment centers (TCCs).

A day earlier, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky at a press conference spoke about the military’s proposal to call up about 500 thousand more people in connection with failures at the front. He did not confirm the exact figure, as there is no understanding in the country on the issue of military rotations and vacations for active military personnel.