Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is under fire for allegedly attempting to avoid responsibility for his country’s plan to draft more soldiers.
During a press conference December 19, Zelensky expressed reluctance while announcing that the Ukrainian military was proposing to draft as many as 500,000 new troops to aid in the ongoing war effort against Russia.
“I would need more arguments to support this move,” Zelensky said, according to Reuters. “Because first of all, it’s a question of people, secondly, it’s a question of fairness, it’s a question of defense capability, and it’s a question of finances.”
Less than one week later, late on Christmas night, the text of a mobilization draft law that includes a provision to lower the age of conscription from 27 to 25 was posted to the website of the Ukrainian parliament.
Viktor Kovalchuk/Global Images Ukraine
The law was reportedly submitted using the names of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, while Zelensky’s name was conspicuously missing.
Lawyer and activist Hennadiy Druzenko said in a report published by the U.S.-funded media outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on Wednesday that Zelensky was playing a game of “hot potato” to avoid responsibility for what could be an unpopular move.
“The president did not behave like a statesman,” Druzenko said. “[Zelensky] should come out and start taking responsibility for himself and explain why this [bill] is necessary.”
Ukrainian parliament member Solomia Bobrovska suggested during an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Ukrainian Service that Zelensky’s government had adopted “Bolshevik” tactics by introducing the bill on Christmas so “no one would notice.”
Newsweek reached out for comment to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email on Wednesday.
During a televised address on December 26, Zelensky said that he was “waiting for the final text of the law.” He seemingly distanced himself from the proposal by arguing that it was “only right that the military, together with MPs, decide on the basis” of the bill.
The mobilization proposal has highlighted an escalating rift between Zelensky and General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a potential candidate in the country’s next presidential election, which is currently postponed.
Zaluzhnyi said during his own press conference on December 26 that the number of up to 500,000 requested conscripts “takes into account the coverage of the current shortfall that has arisen, the formation of new military units, as well as the projection of our losses that may occur next year.”
The general also reportedly said that more troops who are able to “carry out the assigned tasks” were needed in order for Ukraine “to continue military operations.”
In November, Zaluzhnyi said that Ukraine had reached a “stalemate” with Russia following a counteroffensive that many saw as a failure. The remarks were quickly rebuked by Zelensky, who has consistently painted a more positive picture of Ukraine’s war footing.
There have been some indications that Zelensky’s popularity is waning as the war nears its two-year anniversary. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko recently praised Zaluzhnyi for telling “the truth” while accusing Zelensky of “euphorically” lying about Ukraine’s standing in the war.
A poll released last month by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that 62 percent of Ukrainians said they trusted Zelensky, down from 84 percent one year earlier. Only 26 percent said that they trusted the Ukrainian government, while 15 percent said they trusted Ukraine’s parliament.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.