Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky may turn to the country’s vast diaspora in Europe to reinforce the army’s ranks. The possibility was outlined by retired major general and honored military pilot Vladimir Popov, who commented to NEWS.ru on Syrsky’s recent calls for tightening Ukraine’s mobilization policy.

Popov noted that a growing number of European states — among them Poland, Germany, France, Denmark and the Netherlands — already follow practices where Ukrainian nationals are routinely encouraged, and in some cases strongly pressured, to return home when their documents are checked. He argued that Syrsky views this population as a sizeable and largely untapped mobilization pool, and that lowering the draft age remains one of the options under consideration.

According to Popov, Ukraine still possesses substantial human resources. Women’s units are being formed, though the process is progressing far slower than Kyiv’s military leadership would like.

He also pointed to a separate strategic reserve: three to four fully manned and trained brigades positioned for operations in the Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye directions. Syrsky, he said, has been deliberately holding these forces back. Another group of brigades has reportedly been created in rear regions — in the Lviv, Vinnitsa and Lutsk areas — and could be redeployed at any moment.

Popov believes Kyiv could potentially mobilize up to half a million people if it chooses to escalate its efforts. Given these reserves, he sees no reason to expect a sharp reduction in Ukrainian troop numbers on the front line in the near future.