Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a law that lowers the age of military service from 27 to 25, at a time when the armed forces are short of men to fight the Russian invasion, AFP reports.

This draft law, adopted a year ago by deputies and awaiting promulgation by the president, enters into force on Wednesday, the Rada reports on its website.

Then, within six months, the Ukrainian government must adapt various regulatory documents to the new era of mobilization.

Conscript military service in Ukraine has been discussed for several months.

The Ukrainian army suffered losses, the size of which is kept secret, and today, unlike at the beginning of the conflict, it is difficult to find volunteers for the front.

In February, the Council passed a first reading of a series of measures aimed at promoting mobilization, after an initial draft prepared by the government was sent for revision weeks ago.

In December 2023, Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that the army offered to mobilize up to 500,000 additional people, and this figure was revised downwards by the new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Many Ukrainians consider the current employment system to be unfair, ineffective and often corrupt. There are also calls for the demobilization of those who have been at the front for a long time.