Mobilization in Ukraine is feasible but equipping poses challenges — economist Pendzyn

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"If the government plans to mobilize 450,000-500,000 people, then it needs to find about UAH 500 billion. It is very difficult for me to say where they plan to find these funds. Because today the Ukrainian economy does not generate these funds," Pendzyn said.

Pendzyn also noted that the Ukrainian economy does not have a sufficient number of taxpayers.

"Today, the Ukrainian economy does not have the number of taxpayers to ensure additional mobilization of 500,000 people. That is, there is not enough labor and able-bodied population. These are very serious issues. This is exactly the issue raised by President Zelenskyy. Theoretically, it is possible to mobilize this number of people. However, it is worth remembering that war is a lot of money. We can mobilize a lot, but how we will provide such a large number of troops is an open question," he added.

• On November 9, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law extending general mobilization until February 14, 2024.
• On December 19, Zelenskyy said at a press conference on the results of 2023 that the General Staff had asked for the mobilization of an additional 450,000-500,000 Ukrainians.
• On December 25, the Cabinet of Ministers submited a bill to the Verkhovna Rada amending legislation to improve certain issues of mobilization, military registration, and military service.