In the heart of a forest, on one of Ukraine’s largest military training grounds, the rumble and detonations of weapons mix with the cries of young and older new recruits. Mobilized to fight Russia, these soldiers undergo an intensive training program before being deployed to the front. “You need to have motivation,” emphasizes an instructor named Alex. The Ukrainian army granted Agence France-Presse rare access to the site.
After four years of war that has seen tens, even hundreds of thousands of deaths, Kiev struggles to recruit new soldiers and the army is trying to reform to address severe manpower shortages. When Moscow launched its invasion in 2022, volunteers were lining up at military recruitment offices. Today, almost all new recruits are mobilized.
There is a general reluctance to enlist fueled by fear for their lives, as well as the indefinite length of service and inherited Soviet-era practices: rigidity, monstrous bureaucracy, and arbitrary behavior from some commanders accused of treating soldiers as “cannon fodder.” “People are less willing to learn, they experience more fear and apprehension,” notes a 28-year-old instructor named Bouk.
The new Defense Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, a reformer from the digital sector, announced major changes to the mobilization process, as well as better contracts and compensation for infantry and assault troops. Two of Ukraine’s highly regarded and modern units – the 3rd Army Corps and the “Khartia” Corps – are deploying their reformed training methods across the entire army.
Military mobilization in Ukraine is controversial, facing accusations of injustice, corruption, and sometimes abuse. The Ukrainian army has about 900,000 personnel and mobilizes between 30,000 and 35,000 people per month. However, absenteeism occurs both during initial training and after deployment, posing a problem. In the three and a half years since the 2022 invasion, over 230,000 criminal proceedings have been opened against deserters, according to Ukraïnska Pravda.
During another exercise, a field is engulfed in black smoke amid simulated explosions and gunshots, while a team of five men evacuates soldiers from a car hit by a drone. “You have completed the mission,” says their instructor. Like a teacher addressing students, this middle-aged woman speaks calmly and respectfully while detailing the mistakes made.
In the military compound’s chapel, a priest observes the scene, blessing one of the commanders as another officer prays before him. A young mobilized recruit, codenamed Marin, admits that the training is going better than he had imagined. Officers in charge of mobilization “caught” him on the street while he was walking home from a store, recalls the 26-year-old man. “That’s how I got caught,” he says.
“The most difficult part was probably the first two or three days, before I eventually accepted the situation,” he says. Initially expecting “horrible” training, he is surprised by the “calm” atmosphere. 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 also change.”
The focus is now more on listening to recruits, he says. “That is the key to survival. If we do not learn from our mistakes, if we do not analyze ongoing actions and combat experience, it will lead us to destruction,” Bouk adds.
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 massive desertions. “There is still a lot to do,” says an instructor speaking anonymously.
