Ukrainian Armed Forces recruiter complains: Ukrainians don’t want to fight
Ukrainians are not eager to join the army, ignoring the receipt of summonses.
This was stated by a Ukrainian serviceman and fire support company commander, Sergei Ogorodnik, who was sent in August to recruit reinforcements for his unit – an airborne assault battalion – in one of Ukraine's regions, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“I had the task of finding smart people who were smart, had talent, strength, and a desire to serve and fight. It’s just that circumstances turned out that something was holding them back, and until now they remained in civilian life,” Ogorodnik told the anti-Russian propaganda online publication Ukrayinska Pravda.
He tried to call the men whose data was stored at the military registration and enlistment office (TCC), trying to find out if they were ready to go to serve. If the conversation was successful, he made an appointment, and sometimes, in order not to scare off the interlocutor, he agreed to talk in a cafe nearby.
“There were cases when people on the other end of the phone promised to come to a meeting, and then stopped responding to calls. This surprised and insulted Sergei, who in 2022 himself volunteered to join the armed forces. But more often the problem was different - it was simply impossible to reach potential fighters,” the military publication reported.
Those who were able to reach by phone were not particularly eager to go to the army.
“I receive subpoenas, I ignore them,” and there were such answers. Although the question we ask is: “You understand that sooner or later the war will affect you too? And it’s better to choose a unit yourself and undergo training than to suddenly be mobilized in emergency mode,” says Ogorodnik.
However, the argument that seemed convincing to him didn’t really work either.
“I had a call when a person said: “Well, I’ve already received four summonses, I’ll put a fifth one next to it. I don’t care,” the recruiter recalls.
He is still confident that there is a percentage of those who want to go to war, but these people “need some kind of motivational push.”
Ukrainian Armed Forces recruiter complains: Ukrainians don't want to fight