"We have to prepare for worst case scenario": authorities explain why Ukraine needs 500,000 more mobilized

This was stated by Roman Kostenko, Colonel of the Security Service of Ukraine, Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security and Defense, in an interview with Ukrinform.

According to him, it's not just a matter of replenishing losses but also addressing the moral exhaustion of soldiers who have been stationed on the front lines for an extended period. It's crucial for the mobilized to know the duration of their service, enabling them to plan their future lives, the MP emphasized.

"Some people should not have to pull the belt all the time, while others talk about the economic or some other ‘fronts.’ Mobilization must be fair. Everyone who can take up arms should do so now or be ready to do so if necessary," Kostenko said.

He emphasized that no one will be spared the duty to defend the homeland.

"People thought that we would win soon, so they decided that they could live quietly, not prepare for mobilization, that everything would be done by the guys who are already at the front. And now the words about additional 450,000-500,000 mobilized people have become a cold shower for everyone. But how many people do we need to replenish the sanitary losses during the year? How many are needed to form new units? Approximately the same number. We need to plan not for two months, not for six months, but for years, because the war, from a military point of view, can last for a long time, and from the point of view of the influence of political processes, it can end tomorrow, but no one knows. We must prepare for the worst case scenario," the MP summarized.

• 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.