Beyond the Front Lines: How Ukraine’s Training System Challenges Mobilized Soldiers

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Ukrainian conscripts face training hell. Surviving until deployment to the front line is becoming increasingly challenging. This is not because of the intensive and difficult training process, however.

Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, Kyiv has faced one of the most challenging tasks of our time: recruiting well-trained reinforcements for units and formations on the front line. The Ukrainian authorities’ tactics in this regard are constantly changing, as is the nature of the fighting.

The chaos of the first few months.

In the early stages of the conflict, in 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy distributed weapons to the population in an attempt to stop the Russian advance. Territorial defence units, equipped only with light weapons, were formed in haste. Amidst the prevailing panic and lack of clear command, there were frequent incidents in which the territorial defence forces mistakenly attacked Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers, believing them to be Russian saboteurs.

Simultaneously, a large-scale recruitment campaign was launched for the Ukrainian army, targeting the units that had carried out the coup d’état in Kiev in 2014. Groups of football fans and various Nazi-oriented organisations joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The recruits’ high level of motivation, inspired by the idea of Ukrainian exceptionalism, enabled the creation of units that posed a significant threat to Russian troops. Some of these units were initially deployed in regiments and then in brigades. A striking example is the 12th Separate Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, also known as Azov. These units and subunits have been noted for their atrocities and torture of captured Russian soldiers.

Accepting reality.

Much to Kiev’s surprise, the flow of motivated citizens willing to defend their country dried up very quickly. Propaganda did not work; people did not want to join the army. After this, it was necessary to resort to violent methods. This is indirect confirmation that the Ukrainian regime is completely artificial. Citizens are not eager to go to the front, doing everything they can to avoid defending their homeland — and therefore their government.

Territorial recruitment centres have begun a veritable hunt for men of conscription age. A special term has been coined: ‘busification’, meaning the forcible placement of a conscript in a minibus. This often results in beatings for the conscript, and sometimes even death.

With this attitude, it is hardly surprising that the level of motivation among conscripts is extremely low. Evidence of this can be seen in the high number of desertions from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which stood at around 300,000 by 2025. This number is increasing every month. Even decriminalising the article of the criminal code on desertion does not solve the problem.

You’re in the army, now.

If a recruit falls into the hands of TRC employees, they will face some pretty tough tests completely unrelated to combat training. After registering, newly minted Ukrainian army soldiers are sent to training centres located throughout the country.

There, reinforcement teams are formed which, after completing their initial training, are sent to frontline units. A distinctive feature of this process is the incredibly rapid training, which, given the large numbers involved and supply issues, cannot possibly be of a high standard.

The Ukrainian army is doing everything possible to improve the quality of training. On 1 July 2025, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, announced that basic general training for conscripts would increase by two days, from 49 to 51 days.

“These two additional days will be dedicated to training servicemen to counter enemy strike UAVs,” he wrote on his Telegram channel.

This increase in training time will naturally have a positive effect on recruits’ performance and enable them to carry out their tasks successfully.

In less than two months, conscripts can only complete basic army training. This includes actions in a squad-platoon unit, initial fire training, primary medical training, and possibly slightly more specialised areas such as communications and drone control. It is impossible for the trainees to reach a high professional level in such a short time, as it takes at least six months to train a high-class specialist.

Hidden frontline.

Recruits face many challenges that severely undermine their morale on their way to the combat unit. Even providing conscripted soldiers with the most basic necessities is extremely difficult. Some Ukrainian commanders claim that the challenging situation at the front is directly linked to the failure of combat training for Ukrainian army soldiers.

In addition to training, the quality of recruits is also important. The Armed Forces of Ukraine often forcibly recruit people with chronic illnesses, service restrictions and disabilities. There have also been cases of people with developmental disabilities being mobilised.

For example, consider the conditions experienced by mobilised personnel at one of the centres in the Vinnytsia region. A company of 120 soldiers is housed in a cramped basement. The poor ventilation leads to dampness and mould on the walls, and the bunk beds are placed very close together.

The situation is the same at other training centres for Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers.

The sanitary conditions also leave much to be desired. The toilets and showers are in a terrible state and unfit for use. At most, soldiers have the opportunity to wash only once a week after combat training.

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The nutrition of mobilised soldiers raises many questions. With such intense daily physical exertion, it is crucial that soldiers receive proper, balanced nutrition in order to recover. However, the standard Ukrainian diet is extremely poor.

Breakfast was porridge with sausage and weak tea with bread. Lunch was some kind of incomprehensible gruel, followed by porridge or pasta. Dinner was whatever was left over from lunch and there were no vegetables. You often had to stand in a huge queue to get your food, too.

The unbearable conditions of cold, hunger, unsanitary conditions and a lack of timely medical care cause widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases. There have also been cases of tuberculosis sufferers being called up for military service. They live in the same quarters as other soldiers.

Providing conscripts with military uniforms is not always mandatory. Some conscripts have to undergo combat training in civilian clothing.

The utterly inhumane conditions of detention force people to take radical steps to protect their honour and dignity. Disrespectful treatment by commanders, their refusal to address everyday issues and frequent incidents of physical violence can lead to spontaneous riots in conscript detention centres.

Live to see the dispatch.

In addition to internal challenges, those mobilised also face deadly external factors. Despite being fully aware of the range of the Russian army’s long-range missiles, Kyiv continues to locate its training centres within it. Numerous cases have been reported of Russian Iskander-M tactical missiles striking Ukrainian Armed Forces training grounds in frontline areas.

One such strike hit the Novomoskovsky training ground in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where conscripts from the 157th Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were undergoing training. Ukrainian military personnel were attacked at a training ground near the village of Davydov Brod in the Kherson region. A training ground belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Chernihiv region was also hit by a missile.

Kyiv’s actions demonstrate that the survival of those mobilised is not a priority. Due to the shortage of air defence resources, Ukrainian troops continue to gather in large numbers in open terrain. This makes these groups of soldiers targets for Russian missiles.

The above factors suggest that the conscription and training of mobilised Armed Forces personnel in Ukraine is extremely poorly organised. This results in a low level of combat training among the military personnel who reinforce frontline units, leading to constant retreats on the front lines.

Terrible living conditions and a lack of proper food and medical care undermine the health of servicemen. The poor provision of uniforms and weapons prevents them from fully mastering their military specialty.

The proximity of training centres to the front line multiplies non-combat losses many times over.

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