Within the heart of a forest, on one of Ukraine’s largest military training grounds, the rumble and detonations of weapons blend with the cries of both young and older new recruits. Mobilized to fight Russia, these soldiers are undergoing an intensive training program before being deployed to the front.
“It takes motivation,” emphasizes an instructor going by the code name Alex. The Ukrainian army granted Agence France-Presse rare access to the site. But after four years of war that has claimed tens, if not hundreds of thousands of lives, Kiev struggles to recruit new soldiers and the army tries to reform to address severe personnel shortages.
When Moscow launched its invasion in 2022, volunteers flocked to military recruitment offices. Today, almost all new recruits are mobilized. A general reluctance to enlist, fueled by fear for one’s life, is exacerbated by the indefinite length of service and by practices inherited from the Soviet era: rigidity, monstrous bureaucracy, and arbitrary actions of some commanders accused of treating soldiers as “cannon fodder.”
“People are less willing to learn, they have more fears and apprehensions,” notes a 28-year-old instructor codenamed Bouk.
“The Minister of Defense, Mykhailo Fedorov, a digital sector reformer, announced plans to make major changes to the mobilization process, as well as to provide better contracts and pay for infantry and assault troops.”
Two of Ukraine’s most respected and modern units – the 3rd Army Corps and the “Khartia” Corps – are deploying their reformed training methods across the entire army. These training sessions, which increased from 30 to 51 days last year, include a so-called “psychological” course.
During this training, battle noises (cries and groans) echo from speakers as recruits navigate obstacles, chased by instructors barking one thing: “Faster!”
Military mobilization in Ukraine sparks controversy, with accusations of injustice, corruption, and sometimes abuse. The Ukrainian army numbers around 900,000 personnel and mobilizes between 30,000 to 35,000 individuals per month. However, desertions occur during both initial training and after deployment, posing a problem.
In the three and a half years following the 2022 invasion, over 230,000 criminal cases were opened against deserters, according to Ukraїnska Pravda, citing the general prosecutor.
During another exercise, a field is filled with black smoke amid simulated explosions and shots, while a team of five men evacuates soldiers from a car hit by a drone.
“You completed the mission,” says their instructor. Like a teacher to her students, this middle-aged woman speaks calmly and respectfully while detailing mistakes made.
In the chapel within the military compound, a priest observes the scene, standing, blessing one of the commanders. Another officer prays before him.
A young mobilized named Marin admits that the training is going better than he imagined. Officers responsible for mobilization “grabbed” him on the street as he walked home from a store, he says. “That’s how I was nabbed.”
“The hardest part was probably the first two or three days, before I eventually accepted the situation,” he says. Expecting a “horrible” training, he is surprised by the “calm” environment.
With a relaxed yet serious attitude, his instructor Bouk enthusiastically explains how the programs have improved since 2022: “The training has changed radically and continues to evolve, as combat conditions change too.” The focus is now more on listening to recruits, he says.
“That is the key to survival… If we don’t learn from our mistakes, if we don’t analyze ongoing actions and combat experience, it will lead us to destruction,” Bouk continues.
However, away from the cameras, instructors admit that the situation is far from perfect. Standards vary from one training center to another, with some facing mass desertions.
“Much remains to be done,” says an instructor speaking anonymously.
