Situation goes towards lowering the mobilisation age - head of the "Back Alive" fund

The authorities are aware of the problem of the declining number of young people in the country, but are reluctant to change the mobilisation threshold because it could have long-term consequences. According to Chmut, one of the state's tasks should be to work on making Ukraine attractive to young people - this could help reduce the outflow of people abroad and increase the motivation of those who remain to defend the country.

However, he also pointed out that serious factors, such as the threat of Russian guided bombs, contribute to the lack of desire to join the armed forces. This problem has not yet been effectively addressed and has a significant impact on people's attitudes towards service.

In addition, Chmut emphasised problems with training and command levels that affect combat missions. Insufficient training of the command staff can become a serious obstacle to improving the efficiency of the Ukrainian army.

For his part, MP Vadym Ivchenko said on the air of Public Radio that although the Ukrainian Armed Forces need young fighters to perform heavy physical tasks, the issue of lowering the mobilisation age to 20 is not yet being discussed in the Verkhovna Rada. He added that it is more difficult for people in the 47-50 age group to perform physically demanding combat tasks, but the need for young fighters does not mean that their age should be lowered - rather, structural changes are needed to increase combat effectiveness.

Thus, the issue of lowering the age of mobilisation remains open and controversial.