A top Russian official has mocked President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky over Kyiv's mobilization efforts, saying that the two leaders should be included in the draft.
Vyacheslav Volodin, who is speaker of Russia's parliament, the Duma, made the comments on his Telegram channel following reports that the Ukrainian defense ministry had updated criteria for those deemed suitable for military service.
Facing a shortage of troops following high losses, Ukraine's parliament in April passed legislation aimed to replenish the country's fighting forces as they try to hold back Russian momentum in offensives along the eastern part of the frontline.
Ukraine's mobilization law offers financial incentives, death benefits for the families of those who are killed and penalties for men trying to evade service.
Volodin responded to a report by Ukrainian outlet Strana—considered to be in opposition to the current Ukrainian government—describing Kyiv's latest criteria for suitability for military service.
This included allowing those with illnesses such, cancer TB and HIV being still being able to serve if the illnesses were asymptomatic or had not reached a serious stage.
The Strana report, which was picked up by Russian state media outlets, also noted how the criteria would allow those with mild mental illnesses to be sent to serve in the war. This was seized upon by Volodin who used disparaging language about mental illness to take aim at Zelensky and Biden.
"According to these criteria, the first who should be drafted into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are Biden as a mentally challenged person, as well as his friend Zelensky as a mental patient dependent on various drugs," Volodin wrote.
Newsweek has contacted the White House and Zelensky's office for comment.
Faced by dwindling troop numbers and calls from relatives of troops on the frontline for soldiers to be rotated, Ukraine faces a critical shortage of personnel as Russia gears up for an expected offensive in the coming weeks.
While many had volunteered for Ukraine's war effort at the start of Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion, high losses as the war dragged on has led to around 650,000 military-aged Ukrainians fleeing the country, through bribes, illegal crossings or fake medical records, according to the BBC.
Last August, Zelensky fired conscription officers who accepted bribes from those trying to avoid mobilization. The Ukrainian foreign ministry announced on April 24 it would suspend consular services to Ukrainian men overseas aged between 18 and 60 except for those returning. Kyiv has also banned the delivery of identification documents to Ukrainian men of military age abroad.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular ... Read more
