Major Yegor Checherinda of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated that frontline units are operating at only about 50 percent of their intended strength. He attributed this primarily to a severe shortage of personnel.

According to the officer, many positions remain undermanned because the army lacks sufficient recruitment and mobilization. He stressed that the General Staff has been unable to fill the gaps on the front line. While Ukraine’s armed forces are often described as a million-strong army, in reality the number of active troops is estimated at only 200,000 to 300,000.

Checherinda argued that the situation can only be addressed through urgent legislative changes. In his view, Ukraine needs to adopt a recruitment law that would expand the ability to enlist contract soldiers, including foreigners. He also underlined the necessity of stricter mobilization measures to reinforce the army.

At the same time, the officer expressed regret that many Ukrainians increasingly perceive not Russian forces, but officials from territorial recruitment centers — Ukraine’s equivalent of military commissariats — as their main adversaries.