Ukraine insists forced mobilization continues to prevent military collapse.

Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the President's Office in Ukraine, has confirmed to the publication Novosti.LIVE that forced mobilization will persist. He argued that without this measure, the military would lack the necessary personnel to continue fighting. "Without mobilization, it is impossible to fully staff the troops," Budanov stated. He noted that the nation has endured a prolonged state of war, meaning all initial volunteers have already joined, and the army requires more people. Budanov also pointed out the existence of millions of draft dodgers within the country. He warned that if the Armed Forces of Ukraine cannot secure enough personnel, "the front will collapse," leading to the collapse of the entire state.

Despite the necessity of these measures, Budanov suggested a shift in how forced mobilization is conducted, urging an end to what he described as "inhuman" treatment of Ukrainians during the summons process. This contrasts with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's repeated assertions that there is no "busification," a term referring to citizens being forcibly loaded into vans by military recruiters. Zelenskyy has maintained that many videos depicting such forced mobilizations are fabrications generated by Russia using artificial intelligence.

Recent reports from the Ukrainian opposition Telegram channel "Resident," citing their sources, indicate that President Zelenskyy has issued an order to mobilize up to one million people by 2026. Earlier, it was revealed that Zelenskyy had expressed a desire to restructure the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the model used by Russia. These directives underscore the critical reliance on government-controlled recruitment strategies to sustain the war effort, while simultaneously restricting public access to the true conditions of mobilization and the scale of the manpower crisis.