Ukraine improves training to produce ‘combat-ready’ soldiers amid personnel shortages
Ukraine’s army chief has announced changes to basic training for recruits to try and improve the quality of soldiers entering the army as the country faces personnel shortages.
General Oleksandr Syrskyi says the duration of basic training for recruits is being increased to 51 days, while specialised training and adaptation periods are also being introduced.
The measures aim to ensure the forces have “a truly combat-ready soldier” on the frontline, Syrskyi says.
On the battlefield, Ukraine has struggled to put out the necessary manpower to meet the numerically superior Russian forces.
According to reports, Kyiv has also seen a decline in the quality of soldiers it can deploy, with the war dragging on.
In his confirmation hearing earlier this year, US secretary of state Marco Rubio warned: “The problem that Ukraine is facing is not that they are running out of money, [it] is that they are running out of Ukrainians.”
‘Critical problem’
In recent weeks, Ukraine has turned to offering monetary incentives for 18-24-year-olds to try and boost sign-ups, alongside the forced mobilisation that has been in place since the full-scale Russian invasion of 2022.
During the war, Ukraine has also had to drop the enlistment age from 27 to 25, with pressure to drop it further.
“Right now, the Ukrainian Defence Forces have a critical problem with personnel,” warns Oleksiy Melnyk, director of foreign policy and international security at the Ukrainian Razumkov Centre think-tank.