It was difficult to decide upon the title but “Making the Best of a Bad Situation: Recruiting Cannon Fodder for the Ukrainian Army” pretty much gives an oversight of what is now the most critical problem facing Ukraine, notwithstanding the constant ongoing issues such as lack of appropriate weapons, rampant corruption, untrained troops, lack of freedom of speech and apparent knowledge that the conflict with Russia is not winnable.
To be blunt, even if there were a victory in some sense, through the sort of mental gymnastics that the rapidly failing western hegemony has become infamous for, it still wouldn’t mean restoring Ukraine to its pre-2014 borders, as there would be set conditions as stipulated by the Russian Federation.
It is also becoming clear that the closed ranks of Western resolve, e.g., to support Ukraine unconditionally, no matter what, and it does not matter how long it will take, is starting to wear very thin indeed, in the face of both the staggering cost, and the atrophied state of western military manufacturing capability.
As we can already see from the results of the recent European elections, this policy has failed, the populace is moving further to the right, anti-war and [most likely] this reflects a lack of resolve from the onset. It should have been obvious from the “get go”. The actual situation now faced by Old Europe has evolved into more political rhetoric than anything with semblance of a Churchill like doctrine as to how and where they would fight against Russia.
“We Shall Fight On The Beaches” was a speech delivered by the Churchill as Prime Minister to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom on June 4th 1940.
It is ironic that the country that was able to deceive the same population that was so “gung ho” infighting for “Slava Ukraina” is now facing a human resource crisis in its ranks; some go so far as to claim that there arestill not enough warm bodies to keep feeding into the proverbial meat grinder as cannon fodder. Already the level of recruits has been severely diminished, and is definitely akin to scraping the bottom of the barrel, as already discussed in NEO.
Even Western publications, Washington Post, are admitting the obvious in terms of the number and quality of troops, basic training in Ukraine is barely covering the basics, and commanders say “how they are bracing for new troops under a new conscription law to arrive with poor training.”
This does not compare with an early burst of patriotic fervor which saw draft centers swamped with volunteers, that enthusiasm for voluntary enlistment has severely waned with [the SMO] in its third year, a situation not helped by the disastrous 2023 counter-offensive by the UAF (derisively described as “the great counter-oink” by Russian soldiers).
The average age of the Ukrainian soldier is now over 40, and it is obvious that the pool of potential recruits is fast diminishing – for obvious reasons, beyond the point of diminishing returns.
In a case of trying to put lipstick on a pig, western commentators try and pain this disastrous situation as a benefit, as we can see by the sort of psychopathic statement made by Nicholas Drummond, a former British Army officer and defense analyst, on the social media site X:
The average age of a Ukrainian soldier is 43 years old. Good. Old men can’t run away quickly, so they stand their ground, fight to the death, and then make themselves a cup of coffee.
Life is Cheap for the West
The will to fight is disappearing, and many understand that being mobilized and sent to the front is a one-way trip. Many deserters are escaping across the Romanian border and others who were out before the SMO, simply not returning to Ukraine. Crossing a border is a dangerous and sometimes fatal journey to exile, but hundreds continue to cross the border each month.
The Ukrainian border police are now mining some areas to stem the exodus, something that they singularly failed to do in the border areas with Russia near Kharkov, one might add. I guess it’s safer to plant mines to kill your fellow countrymen on a peaceful border than to do it where the Russians may decide to stop you
The BBC reported last year how “enforcing the draft in Ukraine can be difficult and corruption is recognized as a major problem by the authorities. Claiming reliable sources in western Ukraine who told of the existence of a “monthly rate” – a payment made to keep someone out of the army.”
Only Natural Thing to do!
Why should Ukrainian, men between 18 and 60 years of age be part of a military that is already without hope of victory, serving an unelected president? Just how dire the situation is, is something that Western policy planners should have known from the beginning! However, they still insist that more money and weapons will bring their ultimate victory, but the problem remains replacement troops. What point is there in supplying equipment and weapons when there is nobody to properly use them?
Already, many of the most patriotic have surrendered or are long dead; especially those in the first line of NATO trained shock troops. And the number of draft age people has dwindled, due mostly to them escaping to the West, especially to Europe, and so many so, that countries as Germany and Poland are considering forcibly sending them home to do their duty to God and Country. However, they are fearful of being deported back to Ukraine by their host countries, so to fight and die for a lost cause.
It is interesting to note that the Russians are now offering citizenship to Ukrainians abroad, to allow them to avoid being forcibly returned to Ukraine to be fed into the insatiable mobilization meat grinder. There are many very good reasons why so many men in Ukraine don’t want to fight, especially in what is obviously a brother fighting brother war imposed from outside. It is especially difficult among various ethnic minorities, Romanians and Hungarians, who see themselves as being made expendable by intentional design.
Some left Ukraine in order to avoid the draft. Others served on the front before throwing down their arms. “Everything that is happening now is crazy, and it sounds quite similar to what we discussed, that freedom of speech and opposite point of view now in Ukraine is a dangerous thing.”
The same thing is happening now in the US, and Western Europe with censorship and the fear of speaking out. Ukrainians are starting to realize that it is all a game, they have no freedom and are only be used as [cannon fodder], as in a meat grinder. I think many people understand this too, but are not able to speak out openly. I’ll tell you more; even soldiers on the front line already realized it.
Press Gangs Not Enough
Many Ukrainians, both refugees and those who want no part of this proxy war, have also found their way to Russia and other former Soviet countries rather than be pressed into fighting their ethnic kin in what they perceive to be a waste of life and resources—a needless war.
This makes the pool of fresh recruits even more limited, a soldier who has not his heart in the fight, and is forced to serve against his will, is a threat to himself and the unit – and that is perhaps why both Ukraine and the West understand that international soldiers of fortune may help to fill some of the gap, however, with the front so stretched thin, and fewer and fewer troops to move to weak points, the situation will soon become all the more hopeless, especially in the face of ever-increasing Russian strength and tactical and strategic abilities learned on the battlefield
Surely, logic would dictate that it is time for Ukraine and the west to swallow their pride, and sit down with the Russians and talk honestly. Unfortunately, such logic seems rare, if not non-existent in western capitals, where political leaders behave like gambling addicts in a casino, “just one more bet and I will win big!” while losing the house and impoverishing their families.
It is easy to understand why Ukraine is increasingly struggling to recruit enough fresh troops, and why many of those eligible to be drafted would rather not fight. Nobody wants to fight for the interests of others. This meat grinder isn’t about Ukraine’s interest, it’s about western interests!
Seth Ferris, investigative journalist and political scientist, expert on Middle Eastern affairs, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.
