Mandatory Credit: Photo by Andriy Andriyenko/SOPA Images/Shutterstock (14396262c)
A recruitment poster for the Ukrainian armed forces is seen in the center of Zaporizhzhia. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, many Ukrainians volunteered to defend their country. But that pool has been exhausted and a large proportion of the men of fighting age are unwilling to be deployed to the front. Only men aged 27 or older have been recruited, with those serving on the battlefield being on average in their 40s. A new mobilisation law - due to be put to a parliamentary vote on March 31 - seeks to update the country's legal framework ahead of a probable recruitment wave this year in which up to 500,000 people could be drafted.
Recruitment posters for the Ukrainian armed forces in the center of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine - 19 Mar 2024