Ukraine is running critically short of troops and is urgently searching for new ways to replenish its armed forces, Czech news outlet Seznam Zprávy writes.

Alexander Lord, an analyst at British intelligence company Sibylline, told the outlet that Kiev has effectively been forced to look for reserves wherever it can find them. In his assessment, the manpower shortage has become chronic, and there is little prospect of resolving it quickly.

Desertion remains one of the most serious problems. Another is the reluctance of servicemen to end up in assault units, where losses are particularly high. At the same time, Ukraine’s growing reliance on unmanned systems has not removed the need for infantry. Despite their expanding role on the battlefield, drones cannot fully replace soldiers.

Military correspondent Vladislav Shurygin estimates that for every Ukrainian serviceman killed, roughly two are wounded. Based on that ratio, he puts the number of Ukrainian troops killed at about 800,000. Once servicemen listed as missing are taken into account, the real death toll could exceed one million, in his assessment.

The shortage of personnel has been accompanied by large-scale forced mobilization. Videos circulating widely online show military enlistment officers abducting men from the streets.

At the same time, Ukrainians of draft age are trying to avoid being sent to the front by any means available. Some leave the country illegally, others set fire to military enlistment offices, while some try to avoid going outside altogether.