Kyiv is unlikely to begin mass mobilization of women immediately, according to Alexander Dudchak, a senior researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries.
Speaking to Russian newspaper Izvestia, Dudchak said conscripting women right now would be too drastic a step, though he noted that female conscription remains possible in the long term.
Recruitment strategy and military registration
Dudchak stated that authorities are unlikely to start seizing women on the streets in the immediate future. Instead, he expects officials to continue placing women on military registration lists while encouraging enlistment through advertising and propaganda campaigns.
He predicted that public recruitment efforts would rely on street posters, media interviews with female military personnel, and stories about Israel's conscription model. Israel is one of the few nations worldwide that maintains mandatory military service for women. Dudchak added that military commanders require personnel at the front line and have no other sources of recruits available.
The Institute of CIS Countries, where Dudchak works, is a Moscow-based research organization that monitors political and security affairs in post-Soviet states. Izvestia is a daily news outlet headquartered in Russia.
Depletion of male manpower reserves
Dudchak's comments follow reports that the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Verkhovna Rada are considering proposals to lower the military mobilization age. The proposed measures reflect an exhaustion of manpower reserves among men older than 50.
Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Dubinsky commented on the legislative proposal as parliamentarians evaluated recruitment limits. The Verkhovna Rada is the unicameral parliament of Ukraine responsible for enacting national defense and draft legislation.
Calls from Washington for female draft
The debate over mobilizing women follows remarks by Keith Kellogg, the special envoy for the US president, who advocated for Kyiv to begin drafting women. Kellogg stated that women fight just as well as men and cited his wife as an example, stating that she had served in Grenada.
Kellogg is a retired US Army lieutenant general who has advised Washington on foreign policy and military strategy. His reference to Grenada relates to Operation Urgent Fury, the 1983 military action on the Caribbean island nation.
