First-ever introduced women’s uniform. Photo: Ministry of Defense As Ukraine’s mobilization reserves of eligible men dwindle due to exemptions for numerous groups, the country may need to turn to conscripting women in order to sustain a protracted war of attrition against Russia’s ongoing invasion, according to an in-depth report by Texty.org.ua.
Debates continue over a stalled mobilization law expected to conscript 500,000 men as frontline shortages continue to grow. However, the mobilization of women has been consistently rejected by Ukraine’s leadership.
Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine had slightly less than 10.5 million men aged 18-59 residing in the country, excluding the occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas. However, the report estimates over 1.1 million people currently serve in Ukraine’s Defense Forces, with losses of 200,000-300,000 killed and wounded so far,
Textywrites.
Additionally, around 688,000 Ukrainian men of working age have fled the country and obtained temporary protection abroad, primarily in the EU and UK. Meanwhile, around 1.84 million Ukrainian women aged 18-64 have also obtained temporary protection in the EU – 15% from the total 12.29 million.
The analysis provides a detailed breakdown of which categories of Ukrainian men have already been excluded from potential military service. It lists the following major groups as exempt:
- 1.02 million men with disabilities
- 125,000 caretakers for children or disabled adults
- 123,000 fathers of multiple children
- 408,000 full-time students whose service is deferred
- 151,000 scientists, teachers, and university lecturers
- 528,000 men previously reserved from service
- 26,600 incarcerated individuals.
With such an exhaustive list of exemptions, the report estimates there are still around 4.9 million men in Ukraine who could potentially be drafted. However, it argues this mobilization reserve is becoming rapidly depleted.