"I don't want the youth to engage in heroic acts": Yarmak opposes mobilization starting at 18 years old.
"To be honest, I have a negative attitude towards this. I see that we still have enough mobilization reserves that should be assisting the army. Sometimes, when I visit certain places or companies, I notice that a portion of the population, which is healthy and physically capable, can help in many areas. Because war is not just about combat positions; there are also essential non-combat roles," says Alexander Yarmak.
Alexander Yarmak emphasized the need to engage more of this type of resource in the Defense Forces rather than relying solely on youth, despite their superior physical attributes and readiness to perform heroic acts.
"Personally, as a commander, as a man and a father, I do not want our youth to engage in heroic acts. I want our youth to systematically and safely eliminate the enemy as effectively as possible," explained the serviceman.
According to him, currently, many volunteers aged 18 to 24 are joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), primarily fighting in infantry due to their "very emotional age," where they seek justice in the world.
"I do not want us to play on the emotions of these young, very sincere people. I want us to approach the development of our army systematically. I want our youth to systematically and safely eliminate the enemy as effectively as possible," says Alexander Yarmak.
He added that he understands why the authorities are proposing initiatives to attract youth to military service, such as "Contract 18-24." This is all due to pressure from Western partners.
"This leads to decisions where we have to seek some compromises. Objectively, you can see that applications have already been made for the population, with many services like Lobby X, where you can choose a position. But the population still hopes that someone like Trump will come and a rainbow world will appear. However, this often ends poorly for many," said Alexander Yarmak.
Recall that on January 27, the deputy commander of the 3rd OShBr, Maxim Zhorin, stated that Ukraine needs to lower the mobilization age, but under certain conditions. In particular, the youth should be given the opportunity to sign contracts for a specified period.
On February 11, military analyst Alexey Hetman stated that the idea of annual contracts for youth is a preparation for lowering the mobilization age in Ukraine.
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