Too old for the regular army
Ukrainian pensioners’ unit stands up to Putin’s troops
April 28, 2024, 9:06 p.m
Many of them have exceeded the age limit for service in the Ukrainian armed forces. Nevertheless, the men of the Steppenwolfe unit want to defend their country. As an artillery unit they fight against Moscow’s troops.
Officially they are too old for military service – but that doesn’t stop the men around Olexander Taran from fighting for their country – Ukraine. “We (…) make ends meet thanks to the pension fund,” says the 68-year-old commander – nicknamed Grandpa – and laughs. Taran’s volunteer unit, the Steppenwolves, consists of dozens of Ukrainian men. Most are over 60 years old and are therefore no longer drafted into the military. But they still want to serve.
Members of the Steppenwolves unit at work in their workshop.
(Photo: REUTERS)
The mobile artillery unit is funded by donations and travels behind the front line with truck-mounted rocket launchers. Its members take orders from field commanders and work together with other soldiers. They do not receive any official support from the military. They repair defective projectiles themselves. Some of the volunteers are equipped with weapons captured from the enemy. Both are supplied to them by the troops at the front.
When Reuters news agency recently visited their base in the southeastern Zaporizhia region, the men were preparing 122 mm caliber rockets that were later fired by troops from another unit. “The commanders who give us targets are happy,” said a 63-year-old fighter who goes by Zorro. “They give us more targets (and) help us with ammunition wherever they can.”
Taran: Coercion cannot replace genuine enthusiasm
His unit tried to be officially recognized by the Ukrainian armed forces in order to receive ammunition and pay directly, says commander Taran. But that was unsuccessful. Younger men who were deemed unfit to fight have also joined the force.
More than two years after the Russian invasion, many Ukrainians have become war-weary. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find men willing to fight. Some prominent Ukrainian and foreign supporters of the Ukrainian defense struggle have urged President Volodymyr Zelensky to significantly lower the minimum age for military conscription. In early April, Zelensky approved new measures allowing the military to draft more men. He lowered the draft age to 25 from 27 and increased penalties for refusal.
Taran, who has been deployed since fighting began in eastern Ukraine in 2014, says it is unlikely that coercion can replace a potential recruit’s genuine enthusiasm. “You can hit him with a stick, but he won’t fight,” he said. “If someone wants that, they can carry out their tasks and destroy the enemy for 100 years.”