ABC News (US)
· collected 2026-10-08 · by SAMYA KULLAB Associated Press
Ukraine grapples with a shortage of troops at the front after over 4 years of war
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Ukraine → grapple → war
A shortage of combat-ready troops has plagued Ukraine ever since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022
KYIV, Ukraine --
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shortage → plague → 2022
Ukraine’s advances in drone technology and tactics have captured the world’s attention.
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advances → capture → attention
Despite those innovations, one problem has plagued the country since the start of Russia’s invasion: a shortage of combat-ready troops.
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problem → plague → troops
Ukraine always has been outmanned by Russia, but as the war drags through its fifth year, the need for personnel is increasingly acute, commanders and analysts say, with some units at only half strength.
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units → outman → strength
“Based on the equipment and the number of people we have today, we barely have enough to hold the sector we currently have,” said a deputy commander of the Da Vinci Wolves battalion in eastern Ukraine's Pokrovsk area, a focus of Russia’s offensive.
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commander → base → offensive
“To move forward would inevitably mean greater losses,” said the deputy commander, who insisted on identifying himself only as “Afer” because of military rules.
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who → move → rules
Long-standing mobilization problems, including draft dodging and desertion, make it harder for Ukraine to build its reserves, according to military experts, resulting in only incremental changes along the 1,250-kilometer (775-mile) front line.
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Ukraine → stand → line
Ukraine needs to be able to commit forces quickly without taking them from elsewhere on the front.
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Ukraine → need → front
Otherwise, commanders have fewer options to turn a temporary advantage into a sustained operation, said Nick Reynolds of the U.K.-based Royal United Services Institute, a defense and security think tank.
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Reynolds → have → Institute
The shortage means that units can't be rotated often enough, he said, “leading to exhaustion and, in turn, exacerbating casualties.”
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he → mean → casualties
The Defense Ministry, which in July underwent a shake-up by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is trying to tackle the problem with reforms to mobilization, training and the way the army is organized.
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army → undergo → mobilization
Uneven performance by front-line units worsens the problem.
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performance → worsen → problem
Weaker formations suffer heavier losses, creating a cycle of high attrition and constant replenishment.
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formations → suffer → attrition
The ministry did not respond to Associated Press requests for comment, but one of its officials summarized the problem by saying, “There just are not enough people.”
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one → respond → problem
Developing a new mobilization policy, including encouraging deserters to return to duty, is among the most sensitive issues under consideration, said the official, who was not authorized to brief the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.
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who → develop → anonymity
Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was replaced by Yevhenii Khmara in the summer shake-up by Zelenskyy, had sought to reorganize the military around fewer but stronger units.
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who → replace → units
He wanted to reinforce those that performed well and disband the weaker ones.
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that → want → ones
Khmara has said he wants to continue those changes.
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he → say → changes
But the reforms will take time.
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reforms → take → time
Yehor Cherniev, a member of parliament's defense committee, said lawmakers have yet to see mobilization initiatives.
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lawmakers → say → initiatives
In June, Fedorov introduced reforms to military contracts designed to make infantry service more attractive by offering higher salaries and fixed terms of service.
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service → introduce → service
Convincing Ukrainians who have little incentive to fight is a major challenge after more than four years of war, and the country is struggling to recruit enough troops from its estimated population of 39 million.
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country → convince → million
The pool of men aged 25-60 is relatively small following years of demographic decline from war-related displacement and migration.
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pool → age → displacement
There are about 6.8 million men aged 25-59, according to U.N. figures provided by Ukraine's National Health System, but that includes wounded veterans and men otherwise unable to serve.
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that → be → veterans
Official figures put the military’s strength at about 1 million, with only a small fraction deployed at the front.
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fraction → put → front
Compulsory service applies only to men.
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service → apply → men
Women are allowed to volunteer, and those with medical or pharmaceutical training are required to register with the military.
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those → allow → military
Over 70,000 women are serving in the army, according to Defense Ministry statistics in January 2025.
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women → serve → January
In March, Fedorov said about 2 million Ukrainian men were evading service, while about 200,000 soldiers had deserted or left their units without authorization.
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soldiers → say → authorization
Some men flee the country illegally or hide at home.
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men → flee → home
Recruiters sometimes stop them on streets and trains, and those without valid exemptions are sent into the army.
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those → stop → army
In January 2025, the government said about 950,000 men had deferments at the request of businesses.
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men → say → businesses
Russia, with an estimated population of 143 million, also is struggling to fill its military ranks.
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Russia → struggle → ranks
It launched a widely unpopular partial mobilization of 300,000 reservists months after launching the invasion, and hundreds of thousands of men fled abroad.
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thousands → launch → men
Since then, the Kremlin has relied on volunteers lured by relatively high pay and benefits to sustain its force of what President Vladimir Putin has said numbers about 700,000 men fighting in Ukraine.
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Putin → rely → Ukraine
Ukraine's problem is not so much a shortage of personnel but how they are managed and deployed, said military analyst Taras Chmut, who also heads Come Back Alive, a charity providing assistance to the army.
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who → manage → army
Increasing the number of personnel in the defense forces does not necessarily increase their effectiveness, Chmut said.
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Chmut → increase → effectiveness
Exhaustion, poor organization, inadequate training and the lack of a clear end-of-service date drive recruits to desert, according to soldiers and military analysts.
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Exhaustion → end → soldiers
The consequences are felt immediately at the front, with fewer troops to replace battered units or available for emergencies, and a diminished ability to divert forces when an opening appears.
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opening → feel → forces
…and 12 more, not listed.
The Aporia
