Zelensky asks military to present new mobilization plan

President Volodymyr Zelensky instructed Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to present a new mobilization plan by next week, the president said on Nov. 24, RBC Ukraine reported.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics, Zelensky said he listened to reports on mobilization challenges and options for their solution at today's meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

Some of the issues have already been resolved, he added.

"I would like people to understand the entire action plan, where we are going, what the challenges are," the president said.

Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel on Nov. 24 that the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief meeting addressed "mobilization and demobilization, rotations in the Armed Forces of Ukraine," and "issues regarding conscripts who were called to service before the start of the full-scale invasion."

Special attention was also paid to the work of medical military commissions and military enlistment offices, the president added.

Both of these bodies have been rocked by corruption scandals in the past months, leading to Zelensky's dismissal of all regional heads of enlistment offices.

The Defense Ministry and military leadership have seen further personnel changes since Umerov replaced his predecessor, Oleksii Reznikov, in early September.

Medical Forces commander Tetiana Ostashchenko was fired on Nov. 19 following repeated appeals from medics and volunteers. In a more surprising move, Zelensky also replaced Special Operations Forces commander Viktor Khorenko on Nov. 4.

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