Ukraine passes mobilisation bill to boost troop numbers.

Ukraine's parliament has passed a controversial mobilisation bill as it seeks more troops to fight against Vladimir Putin's invading forces - after a general said that Russian soldiers outnumbered Kyiv's by up to 10 times on the battlefield in the east.

- TOM WATLING

The legislation, which must be signed by president Volodymyr Zelensky before it becomes law, is seen as crucial for Ukraine to address what military analysts say are major manpower problems.

Senior Ukrainian military personnel have cited the lack of manpower as one of the two most significant reasons – the other being artillery shortages – for Russia being able to regain the initiative on the frontline in recent months.

Before his resignation late last year, the former military chief Valerii Zaluzhny had called for 500,000 more Ukrainians to be mobilised.

“Pass this law and the Ukrainian armed forces will not let down you or the Ukrainian people,” General Yuriy Sodol, commander of the joint forces, told MPs. “The enemy outnumbers us by seven to 10 times, we lack manpower,” said Gen Sodol, who is commanding Kyiv’s troops in the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Earlier this week, Oleksandr Pavliuk, the ground forces commander, called on Ukrainians to enlist in the army or to be ready to serve.

“We must realise, no one will be able to sit tight,” he wrote on Facebook. “No matter how much help we get, no matter how many weapons we have, we lack people. The equipment doesn’t drive by itself, the weapon doesn’t shoot by itself, and the drone won’t fly by itself.”