The Ministry of Defense turned to the local executive authorities asking for help in carrying out the autumn military draft. Including dismissal, this operation will cost over Hr 10 million, and the Army does not have the money. Correspondingly, the situation may stay the same as it was during the last draft, which was suspended for lack of funds.
According to chief of the Main Recruiting Department with the Ukrainian Staff Lt. Gen. Mykola Matiukh, too many potential servicemen manage to find various officials excuses not to join the army. If we take the drafting resource as 100%, 87.3% will be able to avoid the draft: 85.4% will have deferments, 10.7% due to ill health, 2.5% are convicts, 1.2% are undergoing criminal investigation, and 0.2% will find other reasons.
ТWe do not have anybody to choose from,У Gen. Matiukh said at the briefing. Incidentally, the Ministry of Defense insists on canceling student deferments, although the Ministry of Education and the Parliament refuses to do so.
This fall they expect to draft 35,000 young men and discharge 55,000. Thus, the Ukrainian Army will have 320,000 servicemen by the end of the year, and 310,000 by the end of 1999. However, even then, the Ukrainian Army will remain the third largest army in Europe after Russia and Turkey.
