Ukraine (MNN) — Ukraine lowers its draft age from 27 years old to 25 in an attempt to increase the number of men available to fight Russia’s invasion.
Men can now be drafted into military service at 25, but they won’t be sent into combat until their 27th birthday. As explained here, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bill into law lowering the draft age to 25 and leaving the mobilization age at 27.
However, the Ukrainian Parliament is also considering a bill that would lower the mobilization age to 25.
“The grinding years of this war have taken many young lives; over a half million soldiers killed or seriously injured,” Eric Mock with Slavic Gospel Association says.
“They (Ukrainians) can’t [protect] their country without gathering more people.”
The decision is costly, in more ways than one. First, “By lowering the age from 27 to 25, you’re now cutting into the young workforce,” Mock explains.
“By fighting the good fight to defend their country, they (Ukrainian leaders) may also be causing serious injury to their economy. They’re bringing forward young men and women who might otherwise be the future leaders and producers” of goods and services, he adds.
A Russian drone hit SGA-supported Pastor Vlad’s van while he was evacuating the elderly in an embattled city in Ukraine. Praise God for His protection and ask Him to guide the hands of the surgeon who will operate on Vlad’s leg, which was badly injured.
(Photo, caption courtesy of SGA)
Due to the ongoing war, churches in Ukraine also face a shortage of men to shepherd their flocks. Approximately one-third of pastors and church leaders either left the country or currently serve as military chaplains.
SGA is helping partner churches train 1,000 missionary pastors to fill the gaps, but “if you start seeing an increase of men fighting on the front line, that dream of 1,000 men to care for these churches is nothing more than imagination,” Mock says.
Now that you know, how will you respond? First, “We need to pray to the Lord to raise workers for the harvest,” Mock says.
“Secondly, we need to ask ourselves, how do we help those workers in the harvest? That’s where SGA is involved.”
Help Gospel workers share the hope of Christ in war-torn Ukraine.
Header and story images courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association.
