Zelensky signs law expanding draft age as Ukraine struggles to beef up its military

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law on Tuesday that will reduce the country’s conscription age from 27 to 25, paving the way for Ukraine to increase the number of men serving in the military as it continues to fight Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a law that will lower the country’s minimum conscription age from 27 to 25, potentially boosting the number of men available to fight Russia’s invasion. The Ukrainian Parliament passed the measure in May 2023 but Zelensky had not signed it into law until Tuesday. It is unclear how many men will be impacted by the move. A statement published by the Parliament upon passing the law in 2023 said it was “inappropriate” that “a significant number of citizens” who were fit for military service could not be called up, despite the present need, under martial law. Calling men up to fight under Ukraine’s martial law, which is currently in effect, is a two-stage process. Firstly, men are drafted into military service. Then, once serving in the military, they can later be mobilized – or called up to fight – by the government. The law signed by Zelensky on Tuesday lowers the age they can be drafted to 25, but leaves the mobilization age at 27, However, the Ukrainian Parliament is also considering a bill that would reduce the mobilization age to 25.