As losses mount, Ukrainians fiercely debate future of draft

After an initial outpouring of patriotism in the months after Russia’s invasion began, the realities of the battlefield — and mobilization — have largely set in among Ukraine’s population.

Heavy casualties and almost two years of grinding trench warfare have sparked a fierce debate on the future of the draft, an ever more pertinent topic as the army struggles to fill its ranks.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned last month the military wanted to mobilize up to half a million people to battle the 600,000 or so Russian soldiers deployed in Ukraine.