Recruitment into the Armed Forces of Ukraine: How to Engage Civilians in the Defense of Ukraine

In the very heart of Europe, the largest war since World War II is ongoing. Despite pessimistic forecasts from allies at the beginning of 2022, Ukraine has now been defending its independence for a third year in the face of full-scale aggression by a nuclear state.

Ukrainians are trying to act non-linearly, making the most effective use of limited resources and capabilities. However, winning a war of attrition against Russia is an extremely difficult task that requires greater involvement of Ukrainians in the Defense Forces of Ukraine (DFU). Moscow retains a significant advantage, which it uses daily on the battlefield — human resources that are four to five times larger than Ukraine’s. Recently, this advantage has increased further due to Russia’s involvement of North Korean soldiers.

Today, Russia’s frontline tactics consist of daily “meat waves.” This tactic is incredibly bloody, as evidenced by daily Russian casualty figures at the front, which rarely fall below 1,000 personnel. Despite this, the tactic has proven effective, allowing the enemy to continue advancing along the front.

To counter this effectively, Ukraine urgently needs modern and high-quality approaches to military recruitment. It is for this purpose that, since March 14, 2024, the Ministry of Defense has been developing a recruitment system that underpins the concept of national resistance. As early as November 25, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, announced an order requiring every brigade commander to establish a permanent recruitment unit. Naturally, the National Guard of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, as well as other security agencies, have been recruiting into their own units not since the start of the full-scale war, but since their formation.

In partnership with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and key agencies, we are helping to implement the new doctrine as effectively as possible, because today all of Ukraine is focused on one goal — maximizing the defense capability of all Defense Forces not only for the duration of the full-scale war, but for decades to come. Recruitment is based on conscious choice, interests, and skills that Ukrainians possess in civilian life, in order to make the most of the strengths of those willing to join the defense of the state, both men and women.

Engaging civilians in defense is a natural model for Ukraine

Overall, the model of involving civilians in defense is not new for Ukraine. A vivid example is the Revolution of Dignity. Ukrainians’ willingness to defend their rights and freedoms crystallized in the formation of hundreds of Maidan Self-Defense units in 2013. As of February 2014, their numbers reached approximately 12,000 fighters.

In March 2014, after the start of Russia’s aggression, columns of around 500 volunteers — participants of the Maidan Self-Defense — departed from central Kyiv to the Ministry of Internal Affairs training center and later formed the backbone of the 1st Reserve Battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine.

Since 2014, a whole range of volunteer formations has emerged in Ukraine (a total of 32 battalions in 2014–2015), most of which were regional in nature. Some of them were later reorganized and are now part of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.

On January 1, 2022, two months before the full-scale invasion, territorial defense forces (TDF) began to be formed in Ukrainian cities under the new law On the Foundations of National Resistance. Everyone joined them, regardless of age or gender. This was a process of self-mobilization. At the time, photos of 18-year-old girls and boys, as well as 60-year-old women practicing shooting techniques with wooden mock rifles, became a top subject of mockery on Russian propaganda talk shows. However, with the start of the full-scale invasion, TDF fighters were able to provide a reliable shoulder to the main defense forces. As of March 2022, the Territorial Defense Forces made up one-third of the entire Armed Forces of Ukraine — more than 120,000 fighters — and their structure also included about 180,000 members of volunteer formations. Overall, it was precisely the enemy’s underestimation of the motivation and professionalism of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, as well as self-mobilization (queues of volunteers at enlistment offices) and comprehensive civilian resistance, that prevented Moscow from achieving its desired “Kyiv in three days” in February–March 2022.

Author: Olesia Horiainova

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