MOSCOW, October 29. /TASS/. Ukrainian authorities plan to mobilize an additional 160,000 citizens into the armed forces, according to Alexander Litvinenko, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.

"In total, 1.05 million citizens have been recruited into the defense forces. We aim to call up 160,000 more individuals, which will allow us to staff military units with up to 85% personnel," Ukrainian lawmaker Alexey Goncharenko quoted Litvinenko as saying.

General mobilization was declared in Ukraine in February 2022 and has been extended several times since. Authorities have taken extensive measures to prevent draft-age men from evading military service.

Men of draft age are generally prohibited from leaving the country, with few exceptions. Those seeking deferment must present a set of documents confirming their eligibility.

According to Ukrainian media, many men choose to remain in their homes for months or flee the country, either legally or illegally, out of fear of being forcibly conscripted and sent to combat zones. Videos of young men being drafted by force frequently surface on Ukrainian social media.

Despite these circumstances, on April 16, President Vladimir Zelensky signed a controversial law tightening mobilization rules, aimed at drafting hundreds of thousands of new soldiers. This law came into effect on May 18.