Nearly 1 million Ukrainians exempt from mobilization — defense ministry

Source: Forbes Ukraine

Nearly 930,000 Ukrainian conscripts have been granted exemptions from mobilization, with this number expected to reach 1 million next week, according to deputy defense minister Ivan Havryliuk.  The figure was revealed at  roundtable discussion on the military service deferment policies for businesses in Ukraine.

Havryliuk argued that effective national defense needs the situation where “a portion of the population” serves in the military while others do their bit on the home front working  in defense-related industries. He admitted that only a few Ukrainian businesses have introduced a three-shift pattern, which is” insufficient to fully shift the economy to a wartime footing”.

Another problem is a visible drop-off in foreign aid which will see Ukraine dealing with ‘bigger challenges’ down the road.