NEW YORK, February 7. /TASS/. The Ukrainian army is facing serious manpower shortages, while new recruits lack motivation, the Wall Street Journal reports.
"After nearly three years of fighting, Ukraine is desperately short on infantry to man the trenches. They are outnumbered at least 5-to-1 along most of the eastern front, and the men they have are mostly older, recently conscripted, and lacking motivation and experience in battle," the paper writes, citing Ukrainian officers.
An officer told the Wall Street Journal that new recruits needed time to adjust to the reality of life at the front line before they were thrown into a trench. "But in the current circumstances, we don’t have time to let people adapt," he said, adding: "There’s a shortage in every position, especially in the infantry."
The paper points out that the Ukrainian armed forces are using drones to compensate for the lack of manpower. However, Russian jammers down Ukrainian drones, which are unable to fly on rainy or foggy days. "Once leaves cover the trees again in spring, Russian infantry will be harder for drones to spot," the Wall Street Journal adds.