Ukrainian president signs law boosting conscription to rebuild forces depleted by war
LA TimesSoldiers in Ukraine’s Azov Brigade operate a mortar in the Donetsk region on Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a controversial law Tuesday, days after it was passed by parliament, potentially helping Kyiv to boost conscription to replenish depleted forces to fend off Russia’s continued aggression. The mobilization law, published on Ukraine’s parliamentary website, is expected to take effect in a month and make it easier to identify every draft-eligible man in the country. The law also provides soldiers with incentives, such as cash bonuses or money toward buying a house or car, which according to analysts Ukraine’s government can’t afford. Ukraine already suffers from a lack of trained soldiers and demobilizing soldiers on the front lines now would sideline its most capable fighters.