Ukraine needs advanced weaponry, not just more troops, to win war – MP
Photo: Fedir Venislavskyi (Getty Images)
Ukraine cannot win the war initiated by Russia merely by increasing the size of its Armed Forces. Instead, partners must provide Ukraine with advanced weapons and long-range missiles capable of striking targets deep within enemy territory, stated Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the Verkhovna Rada's defense committee, in a commentary to RBC-Ukraine's YouTube channel.
"Regarding statements from Trump’s team and representatives of the current President about lowering the mobilization age, I’ll refer to President Zelenskyy’s opinion here. To win the war, simply increasing the size of the Armed Forces is impossible. Ukrainian Armed Forces are already the largest in Europe. The main issue is that we cannot win the war started by Russia by just adding more troops," Venislavskyi stated.
In his view, Ukraine can achieve victory only through asymmetric actions, that can be achieved by technological impact on Russia's facilities and legitimate military objectives. This is why Ukraine’s partners must supply advanced weaponry and long-range missiles that can weaken the enemy’s capabilities. With the current size of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, this goal is attainable.
"When we talk about the hypothetical increase in troop numbers, we need to understand that preparing mobilized recruits takes more than a month; it requires two to three months. On top of that, there are mobilization procedures. At best, we would have well-prepared reinforcements only after 4-6 months. We need weapons now. With the delivery of innovative weapons, I believe we can achieve much more than just by increasing the size of our army," Venislavskyi emphasized.
Lowering the draft age in Ukraine
At the end of last year, reports surfaced that the United States had begun urging Ukraine to lower the draft age to 18. US officials believe that the primary issue facing the Ukrainian military is a shortage of personnel.
Despite this, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was against such an initiative. According to him, age does not matter when Ukrainian soldiers still lack weapons.
Read about whether the draft age will be lowered to 18 years and whether it makes sense in the material by RBC-Ukraine.
