Women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, rations distributed, and the fortification of Kyiv: what can Ukrainians expect in the near future?
Mobilization of Women: Should Ukrainian Women Prepare for the Front?
Volunteer Maria Berlinskaya stated that Ukraine needs to intensify the recruitment of women into the ranks of the Armed Forces. According to her, she does not believe that a man's life is worth less than a woman's. Furthermore, she is convinced that "either we preserve our men, or we will have to mobilize women as well, or we will have to surrender."
"If the devastation of Mariupol, Avdiivka, Bakhmut, and many other cities is not enough for you, then it's time to face reality. I do not want women to fight, I do not want men to fight, but I know for sure that the only way to withstand is to prepare all of society for war: both men and women, so that our children do not have to fight," the volunteer said.
"This is so-called classified information. Therefore, any, let's say, statements regarding mobilization activities are state secrets. Moreover, bringing them into the public domain and allowing the enemy to carry out asymmetric actions to replenish personnel amounts to state treason. There is a classification of articles under which such statements from both the volunteer and the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council fall," said Snegirev.
The expert noted that in the event of an escalation of hostilities and increased calls from the Russian Federation, it is not about increasing personnel, as this is a tactic from World War II—wall to wall. Considering that Russia's mobilization reserve is 12-15 million, while Ukraine's is 3.5 million—does it make sense to fight the enemy solely with numbers?
"But the main reason why neither the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council nor the volunteer raises the issue of changing tactics and strategies of military operations through the technological advancement of the Defense Forces—scaling up the production of weapons that would nullify the numerical advantage of the enemy," he said.
Snegirev explained that there are currently problems in Ukraine with artillery shells and the entire spectrum of military-technical equipment for the Armed Forces, specifically, Kyiv is 80% dependent on external suppliers.
"These individuals should not be discussing the nature of mobilization activities; this is classified information. Any public discussions or narratives play into the hands of the enemy. First and foremost, statements should focus on the technological capabilities of Ukraine's Defense Forces, which will minimize the numerical advantage of the occupiers in terms of manpower," he emphasized.
Military expert, retired colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleg Zhdanov noted that it is possible to enhance the recruitment of women into the ranks of the Armed Forces in Ukraine, but whether this should be done is "a very big question."
According to political scientist Igor Reitovich, currently, there is no significant need for the mobilization of women, judging by the calculations provided by the General Staff.
He explained that for the specific recruitment of women into the army, there should be corresponding calculations, similar to those in Israel, where they know exactly how many to call up for service and in which units they will be deployed. Currently, such calculations do not exist in Ukraine.
Labor Mobilization: Should Ukrainians Expect It?
People's Deputy, member of the Verkhovna Rada committee on foreign policy Mariana Bezuhla supported the volunteer in the need for the mobilization of women. She emphasized that there is currently illegal discrimination against men, as there is no distinction between citizens by gender in the constitution. Therefore, calling up women could reduce the number of conscripts among men.
Moreover, she highlighted the necessity of labor mobilization—performing economic tasks and increasing the pace of defense industry production.
"Without a general national resistance to the occupier, the war is doomed to failure, and the Ukrainian nation is destined for another loss of statehood," Bezuhla explained.
Labor mobilization is a political decision that should be presented by the Cabinet of Ministers, while the Supreme Commander-in-Chief should approve it, Zhdanov noted. However, this has nothing to do with military mobilization.
The expert emphasized that labor mobilization is introduced in a special period when martial law is declared. The Ministry of Economy should have a plan for mobilizing the country's economy when transitioning to military footing.
When asked why this is not happening now, Zhdanov pointed out that this is the president's responsibility, as he is the main implementer of the state’s domestic policy.
"I don't know why we only react to problems in the economy and the provision of the Armed Forces when they arise. Then we start scratching our heads and pondering whether to mobilize 100, 200, or 500 people, or maybe declare labor mobilization? Unfortunately, we lack a planned economy and a vision for one or two steps ahead. We act strictly according to the situation, trying to extinguish the fire as it arises. This is a problem of state governance," Zhdanov summarized.
Igor Reitovich clarified that labor mobilization is provided for by Ukrainian legislation. However, the Cabinet must determine whether there are enterprises that can fall under it in terms of resolving various issues.
"If there is such an objective need, for example, in some frontline regions, it could be relevant—construction of fortifications and so on. But for this, the regulatory legal framework needs to be developed, subordinate acts adopted, and it should be elevated to the level of real decision-making, rather than empty talk," he explained.
According to the political scientist, this is not being done now, presumably because it is not that urgent. If the country had a specific need that could be met through labor mobilization, it should have started as early as 2022.
"Since this is not happening, it seems that the country is managing within the current regulatory and organizational mechanisms, and this is sufficient," he noted.
In Dmitry Snegirev's opinion, if the country's economy has not yet transitioned to a military footing ten years into the war, then raising this issue now is at least absurd.
He believes that the first thing that should have been done is to intensify production itself so that the entire industry works exclusively for the Ukrainian defense. However, funding for roads, metro construction, and similar projects is still ongoing in Ukraine.
"What labor conscription are we talking about if even budget planning occurs without considering the needs of the domestic defense industry?" Snegirev asked.
The military expert stressed that the focus should be on funding defense first, rather than introducing labor conscription.
"They are trying to create conditions for cheap labor while the very defense sector is absent, meaning they want to save on salaries without investing in production itself. In fact, the entire burden of the war is on the shoulders of the Ukrainians themselves. Meanwhile, we continue with large-scale construction," he reported.
No Salaries and Ration Cards: Will Rations Appear in Ukraine?
Against the backdrop of recent news, the words of Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court Alexander Mamaliy were recalled, who stated back in February 2024 that Ukraine was supposedly on the verge of introducing labor conscription.
"And then no one will have any salaries. There will be rations, money for cigarettes, and gasoline by ration cards. The war is going to last a long time," Mamaliy said.
Military expert Snegirev is convinced that there are currently no grounds for introducing rations. He noted that funding for the public sector mostly comes from foreign subsidies.
However, political scientist Reitovich pointed out that hypothetically, labor conscription could be introduced in Ukraine, though he doubts it would happen in practice.
"If this was not done in the previous almost 1000 days of war, then what is the reason to introduce such measures now? Objectively, there should be some arguments, but the Cabinet has not provided them. Labor conscription is provided for by laws, but no one is currently using it, presumably because it is not rational in terms of utilizing the labor resources available in the country," Reitovich added.
"We are significantly different from countries that fought in World War II, introducing draconian measures, because we have enormous support from international partners. We collect about 40 billion dollars in taxes, which are redistributed for various expenditures. Additionally, international partners provide around 40 billion dollars annually, which supports our economy, social payments, pensions, and more," Hetman explained.
According to him, Ukraine's economy is operating stably, even growing by 3-5% per year, and therefore remains market-oriented, without any additional restrictions being imposed.
The economist does not know what might happen in the country to necessitate the introduction of labor conscription. If all international partners stop assisting, then without the 40 billion dollars, the situation in the economy will become complicated, and certain restrictions on various products may occur.
"But that does not seem realistic. This is just some kind of insane nonsense," he assured.