Zelenskyy says he is weighing Ukrainian military’s request for mobilization of up to 500,000 troops

By ILLIA NOVIKOV
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine’s military wants to mobilize up to 500,000 more troops to fight Russia’s invasion. But Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he has asked them to spell out their plans in detail on what is “a very sensitive matter.” Only then will Zelenskyy decide whether he grants their wish as the war approaches the two-year mark. He said that such a major mobilization would cost Ukraine around 500 billion hryvnias or $13.4 billion. The Ukrainian president said that other aspects to be considered include whether troops currently on the front line would be rotated or allowed home leave after almost 22 months of full-scale war. Ukrainian Ministry of Defense statistics say the Ukrainian army had nearly 800,000 troops in October.