(Reuters) – Ukraine’s army chief expressed frustration with the work of military conscription offices at a rare news conference on Tuesday, in comments suggesting that they should mobilize more soldiers for the war against Russia.
Valeri Zaloujny held his first press conference since the start of the war, in February 2022, the day after the publication by Parliament of a law intended to modify the military conscription program, in particular to lower the age of citizens who can be mobilized, at 25 years old compared to 27.
The publication of this text caused controversy on social networks, a situation which apparently pushed the chief of staff, very rare on the public scene, to speak to the press in Kyiv.
“I’m not satisfied right now with the work” of military conscription offices, he said. “Otherwise we wouldn’t be here discussing this bill.”
If tens of thousands of men volunteered to fight in the wake of Russia’s launch of an offensive presented by Moscow as a “special military operation” but denounced by Kyiv and the West as an invasion, this enthusiasm It has since been reduced.
Also answering a range of questions about the conflict, Valeri Zalouzhny admitted that Ukrainian troops had retreated to the outskirts of Maryinka, a town which “no longer exists”, he said, after months of fighting with Russian troops.
The reform of military conscription is a highly sensitive subject for a population that has become suspicious as the war has now lasted for almost two years, with no end in sight on the horizon.
TENSIONS
President Volodimir Zelensky said last week that the army had proposed mobilizing an additional 450,000 to 500,000 personnel.
Valery Zaluzhny said on Tuesday that this number was not a proposal from the army and that it was a project to be implemented gradually.
He added that he would never have revealed this number publicly, a comment likely to fuel rumors about political tensions with Volodimir Zelensky.
Despite the little progress made by Ukrainian troops since the launch last June of a counter-offensive intended to retake territories controlled by the Russian army, Valery Zaluzhny remains extremely popular with Ukrainians for having repelled the The Russian attack on Kyiv at the start of the conflict then orchestrated two successful counter-offensives in the fall of 2022.
Tensions between the chief of staff and the president came to light in November, when Valery Zaluzhny reported that the war was heading towards a stalemate due to the technological situation on the battlefield. . This was followed by a reprimand from the presidency in Kyiv.
Volodimir Zelensky and his allies continue to paint a less gloomy horizon for the war, repeating that Ukraine has the means to repel Russian troops and will succeed in doing so to recover every centimeter occupied since the start of the invasion.
“I was criticized a lot for these comments, but over time people will realize that I was completely right,” said Valeri Zaluzhny, also indicating that Ukraine and its allies have identified the responses to be made to the majority of the problems he raised last month.
(Reporting Max Hunder; French version Jean Terzian, edited by Bertrand Boucey)
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