Ukraine's Front Lines: Tired, Middle-Aged

It's a clear sign the Ukraine-Russia war has a long way to go: On Tuesday, Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky said the military wants him to mobilize another 500,000 men from the civilian ranks to fight Russia. "This is a very serious number," Zelensky said in his year-end news conference, reports Reuters. He added that his government has not made a final decision on the "highly sensitive" question, but from other coverage, Zelensky might not have much choice:

• Older, tired: Many of the soldiers currently on the front line are middle-aged and exhausted, reports the Wall Street Journal. "Physically, I can't handle this," one 47-year-old tells the newspaper. "I'm deeply disappointed that I'm no longer 20." Often, these men are from poorer, rural areas who can't afford to buy their way out of the nation's "rickety" draft system or into safer duties behind the front lines, per the story.
• The draft: Men ages 27 to 60 can be drafted into service—lawmakers just approved lowering the age to 25—but anyone 18 or older can volunteer. After a surge of volunteers when the war began, those numbers have dropped sharply. What's more, a "combination of corruption, exemptions and political caution has protected much of Ukraine's urban middle class against having to fight." That could change if hundreds of thousands of men need to be called up. No male age 18 to 60 is allowed to leave the country, which has been under martial law since Russia invaded in February 2022.

• Aggressive: The New York Times reports that Ukraine military recruiters are deploying increasingly aggressive tactics to force civilians into the ranks. "Videos of soldiers shoving people into cars and holding men against their will in recruiting centers are surfacing with increasing frequency on social media and in local news reports," per the story. Lawsuits about wrongful draft notices—there are certain exemptions—or other aspects of forced mobilizations are on the increase.
• Numbers: The number of fighters, and casualties, are state secrets, but Zelensky suggested that 500,000 soldiers already were on the front lines, per the BBC. Russia is believed to have more and, of course, a much bigger population to draw from for replenishments.

(More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)