Ukraine's military has placed a massive demand on the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
There are no signs that the war in Ukraine is de-escalating.
Less than three weeks ago, Russia's dictator Vladimir Putin announced a 15 percent increase in the number of troops in the army.
This equates to just over 170,000 active-duty soldiers.
Demanding Massive Mobilization
Now, Ukraine may be preparing to respond to Russia's military buildup.
The Ukrainian military has put forward a demand for the government to mobilize 450,000 to 500,000 new soldiers to fight against Putin's forces, reports the BBC.
This was confirmed by Zelensky himself at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
"This issue is very sensitive," said the Ukrainian president.
"Where's the Money?"
According to Zelensky, such a mobilization would be very costly.
The estimated bill for financing such a workforce is around 500 billion Ukrainian hryvnia – equivalent to 13.4 billion dollars.
"Where will we get the money?" Zelensky asked, adding that it's a question that must be handled by Ukraine's finance minister.
Sensitive Situation
The demand from the Ukrainian military comes at a very sensitive time. According to The New York Times, the country has lost up to half a million lives since the invasion nearly two years ago.
Moreover, the aid package being sent from the USA to Ukraine later in December could be the last unless Congress approves more in the future, the White House warned yesterday.
Ukraine still needs help, even though the assistance so far has been crucial.
"Congress will need to act without delay," emphasized John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, according to CNN.
Russia Claims Successes
Another troubling circumstance is that Russia claims to be launching a new offensive and that Putin has achieved significant successes on the southern front in Ukraine over the past week.
Recently, Russia attacked the capital region of Ukraine with cruise missiles.
A beginning of a new winter offensive, according to a Western government source.
"We have suspected over the past few weeks that Russia is going to launch a winter offensive against Ukraine's critical infrastructure, and we assess that last night's attacks were probably the start of it," the source told Sky News on December 8.
