In the heart of a forest, on one of Ukraine’s largest military training grounds, the roar and detonations of weapons mix with the shouts of young and older new recruits. Mobilized to fight Russia, these soldiers are undergoing an intensive training program before being deployed to the front lines. “You need to have motivation,” emphasizes an instructor with the code name Alex. The Ukrainian army granted Agence France-Presse rare access to the site.
After four years of war that has resulted in tens, if not hundreds of thousands of deaths, Kiev struggles to recruit new soldiers, and the army is attempting to reform itself to address serious manpower shortages. When Moscow launched its invasion in 2022, volunteers were rushing to military recruitment offices. Today, almost all new recruits are mobilized.
A general reluctance to enlist, fueled by fear for one’s life, is also exacerbated by the indefinite length of service and inherited Soviet-era practices: rigidity, monstrous bureaucracy, and the arbitrary behavior of some commanders accused of treating soldiers as “cannon fodder.” “People are less eager to learn, they experience more fears and apprehensions,” notes a 28-year-old instructor with the code name Bouk.
“Birthing a new army”: The new Minister of Defense, Mykhailo Fedorov — a reformer from the digital sector — announced plans to make major changes to the mobilization process, as well as improve contracts and pay for infantry and assault troops. Two of Ukraine’s renowned and modern units — the 3rd Army Corps and the “Khartia” Corps — are implementing their reformed training methods throughout the army.
Military mobilization in Ukraine has sparked controversy and allegations of injustice, corruption, and at times, abuse. The Ukrainian army has about 900,000 personnel and mobilizes between 30,000 and 35,000 people per month. However, desertions during both initial training and after deployment pose a problem. In the three and a half years following the 2022 invasion, over 230,000 criminal proceedings were opened against deserters, according to Ukraїnska Pravda, citing the prosecutor general.
“Plenty to do”: During another exercise, a field is filled with black smoke amid simulated explosions and gunfire, as a team of five evacuates soldiers from a vehicle hit by a drone. “You have completed the mission,” says their instructor. Like a teacher addressing students, this middle-aged woman speaks in a calm and respectful tone while detailing mistakes made.
In a chapel within the military compound, a priest observes the scene, blessing one of the commanders. Another officer prays before him. A young mobilized soldier with the code name Marin admits that the training is going better than he had imagined. Officers in charge of mobilization “grabbed” him off the street as he was walking home from a store, the 26-year-old man recalls. “That’s how I got caught.” “The most difficult part was probably the first two or three days, before I eventually accepted the situation,” he says. Initially expecting a “horrible” training, he is surprised by the “calm” atmosphere.
With a relaxed yet serious attitude, his instructor Bouk enthusiastically explains how programs have improved since 2022: “Training has changed radically and continues to evolve, as combat conditions also change.” The emphasis is now more on listening to recruits, he says.
“This is the key to survival […] If we don’t learn from our mistakes, if we don’t analyze current actions and combat experience, it will lead us to destruction,” Bouk continues. However, away from the cameras, instructors acknowledge that the situation is far from perfect. Standards vary from one training center to another, with some facing mass desertions. “There is still a lot to do,” says an anonymous instructor.
