Lowering draft age may threaten Ukraine’s survival, lawmaker warns

He stated this during a broadcast on Novyny.Live.

“I am confident, and my position will not change, that we do not have the right to lower the age for our citizens who will fight on the front lines. I can agree that citizens aged 18 to 25 should be trained to utilize the military capabilities we currently have,” Demchenko said.

In his opinion, when such individuals reach the appropriate mobilization age, they will already possess the necessary skills to defend the country from the enemy. At the same time, Demchenko emphasized that if a decision were made to lower the draft age, the very existence of Ukraine would be at risk.

“If the decision depends on me—whether to lower the mobilization age or to end the war—I will do everything to end the war in order to preserve our nation and state for the future,” Demchenko stated.

• In October 2024, the Ukrainian President’s Office reported that the United States was pressuring President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to lower the mobilization age. However, later, the President said that before lowering the mobilization age, it is necessary to fully staff the brigades. “We’ve heard many signals regarding the mobilization age of our military, including from representatives of the former U.S. administration and some NATO countries. I won’t name specific numbers, but we have over 100 brigades, and each of them needs to be equipped daily with resources, including armored and artillery equipment,” Zelenskyy stated.
• In December 2024, MP Fedir Venislavskyi said there were no legislative initiatives to lower the mobilization age from 25 to 18 years.
• Meanwhile, the Center for Countering Disinformation stated that mobilization of 18-year-old students after basic military training is impossible in Ukraine. “Mobilization in our country starts at 25. Therefore, mobilization of 18-year-old students after basic military training is fundamentally impossible,” said the Center’s head, Andrii Kovalenko.