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11 Feb, 14:46

Ukraine’s contract recruitment to be followed by 18-year-old conscription — expert

Previously, Zelensky said that young Ukrainians under the age of mobilization will receive $ 24,000, will be able to choose a university at the end of the contract

MOSCOW, February 11. /TASS/. The contracts announced by Vladimir Zelensky to attract young people under mobilization age to the Armed Forces of Ukraine are an intermediate stage after which mobilization of 18-year-olds will be announced, said Ukraine’s reserve officer Alexey Hetman.

"I think these are (contracts for Ukrainians under mobilization age - TASS) an intermediate stage. I am sure that <...> we will have mobilization from the age of 18. It would have been very negatively perceived by the country and society, if done right away, so this is an intermediate option," he said on the Kiev-24 TV channel.

According to him, Ukrainian soldiers over the age of 25 are already wondering why those who join the army under contract will receive much more than those conscripted on a general basis.

Previously, Zelensky said that young Ukrainians under the age of mobilization will receive $ 24,000, will be able to choose a university at the end of the contract, enroll in it without entrance exams and study at the expense of the state after signing a one-year military contract.

They will also be provided with an interest-free mortgage, he said.

Ukraine has started debating lowering the mobilization age to 18, which, in particular, the United States insists on. According to independent deputy Artem Dmytruk, the bill has already been developed and is in the Verkhovna Rada.

The authorities have already lowered the age of mobilization once: until April 2024, men from 27 to 60 years old were subject to conscription, and now they are from 25. However, the Ukrainian army continues to experience a shortage of personnel.