A recent event led me to fact check something that I thought must be untrue, which is that Ukraine conscripts people into the military against their will, including making those people that had previously fulfilled their obligations return to the battlefield.
Moreso, when browsing X recently I saw bunch of videos being posted of what claimed were police forcing people into vans to go fight in Ukraine. The police were beating these people in the process. Now, it is possible that some of this content is propaganda, but I did want to find out if Ukraine forces conscription.
It appears that it is true:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_Ukraine
I am very much against conscription. I still support Ukraine’s independence, but the fact that they are forcing people to fight through beatings, arrests, etc. is sickening to me and makes me lose respect for Zelensky. According to an estimate by Ukrainian commanders, 50% to 70% of Ukrainian conscripts are killed or wounded in their first few days in combat on some areas of the front.
What are others thoughts on this?
I’m pro, but to a very limited extent and with a lot of caveats.
Peacetime conscription is an important tool for smaller nations in that it gives a population a basic military skillset. A professional army will then have a larger recruitment pool that already knows WTF fire&maneuver teams are.
It is also my firm belief that serving a year for something greater oneself is an important life lesson. Not in the sense of indoctrination, but most 20 year olds really should serve a purpose outside of their own life and goals.
As for wartime conscription, that’s an entirely different thing. A conscript should never be sent abroad. And I’m undecided whether it’s OK to use them in defensive wars (A common argument is that if a nation is worth fighting for, they will volunteer. I can’t take a stance on that, as I don’t have any relevant experience).
And it should be possible to refuse military service. So, for example, instead of serving in the army for a year, you’re assigned to civil defense that can help out during disaster relief.
Source: My thoughts and opinions, mostly. I served one year as a conscript, learning the basics. I was offered a contract to join the standing army as I was interested at that point in my life, but I turned it down for a competing offer. I later joined our country’s equivalent of the national guard for a couple of years, before I left due to it clashing with my job a lot.