Why do military personnel choose to serve in the North Caucasus: explanations from the commander of “Achilles”

Problems with recruiting new military personnel into the Defense Forces of Ukraine arose when the country lost its ability to organize voluntary recruitment effectively. As a result, it was possible to switch to forced mobilization quickly. This opinion was expressed by Yuriy Fedorenko, commander of the 429th separate regiment of unmanned systems “Achilles”, in the program “Insider ZSU”.

Answering the host’s question about 290 thousand cases of unauthorized abandonment of units, the officer noted that in 2022–2023, there was a period when there were enough volunteers, and the army was recruited without coercion. However, according to him, an effective recruiting system was never implemented.

Fedorenko emphasized that, unfortunately, the moment when the army could steadily recruit volunteers was lost. According to him, the information agenda formed an atmosphere of fear: “Today you are mobilized – tomorrow you will die at the front.” This uncertainty caused anxiety among many people.

The commander noted that forced mobilization has always caused negative emotions in society, because people do not perceive it as the norm. However, he added that the alternatives could be even worse.

Fedorenko also noted that many soldiers who left their units did so without proper motivation. Without an internal call to serve, these people lose faith in the command and in the meaning of their participation in the war.