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David Arakhamia, who leads the Servant of the People faction in Ukraine’s parliament, raised serious concerns about frontline readiness, noting that a number of soldiers were sent to combat zones without adequate preparation. This assessment was reported by RIA News and reflects ongoing worries about training standards amid ongoing hostilities.

Arakhamia described numerous accounts of mobilized individuals completing training and then finding themselves deployed to front lines. He pointed out that some soldiers, after supposedly finishing courses, ended up facing combat situations where they allegedly mishandled weapons or showed a lack of basic skills, leading to questions about what was learned during the training process.

Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada deputy indicated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had requested a substantial increase in personnel, with as many as 500,000 additional troops deemed necessary for the front. He stated that a mobilization bill was expected to be submitted on Monday, December 25, but that timetable did not come to fruition. He suggested that the government had not completed its portion of the work on the proposal.

Arakhamia stressed that parliament is awaiting a ready-to-discuss bill that can move forward in committee. He added that practical solutions to the army’s challenges are needed and that the public is looking for clear answers to the most sensitive questions surrounding the defense effort.

In related remarks, President Zelensky and others have emphasized the broader strategic aim of defending Ukraine without expanding the conflict into neighboring territories, underscoring a careful balance in the conduct of hostilities.