Ukrainian president signs controversial law to boost conscription to fend off Russia’s aggression

By HANNA ARHIROVA
Assocaited Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a controversial law, days after it was passed by parliament, potentially helping Kyiv to boost conscription to replenish depleted forces to fend off Russia’s continued aggression. The mobilization law, signed Tuesday, is expected to take effect in a month and make it easier to identify every draft-eligible man in the country. Ukraine has been struggling to fend off the Russian advance. Since the full-scale invasion began in Feb.2022, Russia has captured nearly a quarter of Ukraine, which is outnumbered, outgunned and in desperate need of more troops and ammunition. Exhausted soldiers have no means of taking a break from front-line work because of the current scale and intensity of the war.