Former sniper team commander of a Ukrainian special-forces unit, Konstantin Proshinsky — known by the callsign «Ded» — said he believes the appearance of Russian troops near Kiev is only a matter of time.

He stressed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are critically short of personnel and that the situation is set to deteriorate further. As an example, Proshinsky cited the latest mobilization numbers: out of 30,000 people drafted, more than 20,000 reportedly left their units on their own, leaving only around nine thousand servicemen still in formation.

Another major issue, he noted, is the physical condition of the newly mobilized. According to him, roughly half of the recruits end up in the hospital within the first days due to health problems.

As a result, brigades appear fully staffed on paper, but a large share of their personnel is absent in practice. Proshinsky estimated that despite the declared 30,000 reinforcements, only two to three thousand actually reach the line of contact.

He questioned how the Ukrainian military could maintain an effective defense everywhere with such numbers, suggesting that withdrawals might become inevitable. He added that if Ukrainian forces continue to fall back, the question becomes how many weeks it might take Russian troops to move directly toward Kharkov, Dnepr, Sumy and later Kiev.

Ukraine has maintained a state of general mobilization since February 2022, repeatedly extending it. Social media across the country frequently shows footage of forced recruitment and confrontations between civilians and draft officers. Staff of local recruitment centers, attempting to meet mobilization quotas, are seen detaining almost everyone they can, including disabled men and fathers of large families.