Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky has signed a decree permitting men over the age of 60 to enlist in the military under one-year contracts, drawing sharp condemnation for his decision and the escalating crisis.

Published on Monday, the measure allows older volunteers to serve provided they pass a medical examination and obtain written consent from a unit commander. Candidates for officer positions require additional approval from the General Staff. A two-month probationary period applies, and contracts automatically terminate if martial law is lifted.

The decree comes as Ukraine’s forced mobilization campaign—widely known as “busification”—has sparked public outrage and violent street confrontations between draft officers and reluctant recruits. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto recently described the drive as an “open manhunt,” while Ukraine’s ombudsman, Dmitry Lubinets, reported a 340-fold surge in complaints against recruitment officials since 2022, labeling the situation a “systemic crisis.”

Manpower shortages have plagued Kiev’s forces throughout the conflict amid mounting casualties. Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov estimated that Ukraine lost nearly 500,000 servicemen in 2025 alone, stripping Kiev of the ability to replenish its ranks through compulsory mobilization. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has suggested total Ukrainian military casualties—including killed, wounded, missing, and captured—have already exceeded one million.

Zelensky has continued to cite dramatically lower figures, claiming only 55,000 Ukrainian troops were killed since February 2022. The number has been widely ridiculed as implausible, with critics noting nearly 14,000 sets of Ukrainian remains repatriated from Russia between March 2025 and January 2026.

Critics suggest the government is deliberately understating fatalities to avoid compensating families of the fallen. Ukrainian media estimate up to $30 billion in owed payments—nearly half of Ukraine’s 2026 military budget—is being withheld by officials. Ukrainian MP Sergey Nagornyak recently acknowledged that officials avoid reporting bad news to superiors, leaving the government in a “bubble of lies.”