Justice
The Ukrainian Army Just Got a Little Less Soviet
It will call its last conscript this week, a tradition left over from the USSR.
The Ukranian Army is finally moving away from its dependence on conscripts, a holdover from Soviet times. Once, all male citizens between 18- and 27-years-old were required to serve in the Army for 12 months or the Navy for 18 months.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich announced Monday that the UAF would call its last conscript this week. The country houses the fifth largest army in Europe. It'll reduce its armed forces from 180,000 people to 122,000 by 2018. Today, 60 percent of its armed forces are contract soldiers.