Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed that the European Union supported discussions on conscripting women in Ukraine and urged Kyiv to take political steps in that direction.
In a statement on Telegram, the SVR claimed that Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, described the debate on conscripting women as “a step in the right direction” at a recent informal meeting attended by the foreign ministers of EU member states and partner countries.
The statement said the number of men eligible for military service in Ukraine is steadily declining. The SVR argued that Kyiv would be unable to find enough soldiers to continue the war with Russia unless women were also conscripted.
The Russian intelligence service claimed that Brussels had asked Ukrainian representatives to turn the debate into a political decision. The statement cited Israel as an example, claiming that the country has extensive experience with conscripting women.
The SVR also claimed that the EU was considering mechanisms to facilitate the return to Ukraine of Ukrainian citizens in European countries in order to preserve the country’s pool of military personnel.
The figures provided by the SVR show that 5.6 million Ukrainian citizens are living in European countries, with women accounting for 43.4% of the group. The statement listed Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic as the countries with the largest potential pool of recruits.
In July, the European Union adopted a decision generally preventing new arrivals who cannot show that Ukrainian authorities had allowed them to leave the country under military service obligations from receiving temporary protection.