NEW YORK, August 12. /TASS/. More than 150,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed or wounded since February 2022, The New York Times reported, citing estimates by Western officials and analysts.
Given the losses sustained by the country’s armed forces, troop recruitment is becoming increasingly important, the paper said. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has moved to dismiss all regional recruitment chiefs amid reports of corrupt draft evasion schemes.
According to the New York Times, the number of people trying to escape service has grown due to huge troop losses during Kiev’s counteroffensive, and "Ukraine has reached ever deeper into society to keep its ranks filled."
Meanwhile, reports keep coming of "officers taking bribes to let men evade being drafted." Ukraine’s "State Border Guard has said that an average of 20 men per day are arrested for trying to leave the country." "Last year, the Ukrainian government instituted a ban on recruitment officers issuing summonses at checkpoints, gas stations and other public places, in response to a petition signed by more than 25,000 people," the paper noted.
According to the New York Times, Zelensky’s move has drawn skepticism from some Ukrainians. A Territorial Defense officer said that corruption in recruitment centers was well known, and "those who would like to avoid [enlistment] would do that anyway.".