A recent event led me to fact check something that I thought must be untrue, which is that Ukraine conscripts people into the military against their will, including making those people that had previously fulfilled their obligations return to the battlefield.
Moreso, when browsing X recently I saw bunch of videos being posted of what claimed were police forcing people into vans to go fight in Ukraine. The police were beating these people in the process. Now, it is possible that some of this content is propaganda, but I did want to find out if Ukraine forces conscription.
It appears that it is true:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_Ukraine
I am very much against conscription. I still support Ukraine’s independence, but the fact that they are forcing people to fight through beatings, arrests, etc. is sickening to me and makes me lose respect for Zelensky. According to an estimate by Ukrainian commanders, 50% to 70% of Ukrainian conscripts are killed or wounded in their first few days in combat on some areas of the front.
What are others thoughts on this?
Im not and I dont think Ive argued for it. I tried looking at it from multiple angles, thats not the same.
Do you think I’m not aware of the reason conscription exists? Ukraine would not be able to fight this war without it, I fully acknowledge that. My argument is, if a country needs conscription to keep fighting, it’s time to stop fighting. If that means Russia takes territory, then that’s what the Ukrainian people have chosen. Their self determination matters too.