On April 22, 2024, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute announced the results of an analysis of global military spending in 2023. It was a record high of $2.44 trillion. For comparison, a United Nations study found that $39 to $50 billion is needed each year to provide adequate food for everyone worldwide. This amount represents only 2 percent of global military spending.
Europe now spends more on armaments than Russia. In the case of Ukraine, military support from the United States and European countries, which reached $35.7 billion last year, must also be added. In that case, Ukraine's budget would amount to 91 percent of Russia's defense budget. Since 2014, Ukraine's military budget has increased by 1,272 percent. The United States recently approved a new aid package worth $61 billion. An additional $26.4 billion was provided to Israel and $8.1 billion to Taiwan. This accurately reflects the current geopolitical hotspots.
In the Western world, many media outlets and politicians cheered as if the Earth had escaped the danger of destruction. The stock prices of major defense companies responded with a significant rise. The weapons industry is thriving thanks to the global trend of militarization.
Despite large-scale military support, Ukraine is facing serious problems. Since the war began with the invasion of Russia, the number of casualties has increased alarmingly. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers lost their lives, putting the Ukrainian army on the defensive. Desperate efforts are currently underway to recruit hundreds of thousands of new troops. According to official Russian information, unlike the Russian army, which can strengthen its forces with about 30,000 volunteers every month, the Ukrainian army relies on official mobilization orders at the national level. However, the people are resisting this. According to a report by Polish newspaper citing Ukrainian sources, about one million Ukrainian men eligible for military service have gone into hiding inside Ukraine over the past two years. A similar number of men fled to countries abroad, mostly in the European Union. About 200,000 Ukrainians of military service age are taking refuge in Germany. The government and military leadership plan to take stricter measures against those who evade military service in the future. In mid-April, Ukraine's parliament passed a new mobilization law that requires all men between the ages of 18 and 60 who are required to serve to report to the military conscription office within 60 days, even those who were exempt from conscription on the first decision. passed. Ukrainian citizens living abroad are also obliged to register or update their personal information. Electronic registration is also possible. Failure to comply with registration obligations will result in loss of eligibility for consular services, such as issuance or extension of passports or other personal documents. Additionally, Ukrainian nationals living abroad who do not register are at risk of having their Ukrainian citizenship revoked. This mobilization law also has serious consequences for soldiers who have been fighting on the front lines since the beginning of the war and are now urgently demanding to return home. This is because the planned disbandment of these units has been postponed and soldiers must continue to fight at the front lines. Because personnel cannot be recruited, if they leave the front line, the front line collapses. As tremendous anger arises among the soldiers, the possibility of desertion is increasing. After the war began, the right to conscientious objection to military service, originally guaranteed by the Ukrainian Constitution, was abolished by the newly imposed martial law. Conscientious objectors can now face years in prison. May 15th is International Objector's Day. On this day, numerous organizations and groups around the world launch the global “Refuse War” campaign to resist militarization, war, and military service. A recent survey found that more than 70 percent of Ukrainian men of military service age do not want to join the military. International peace organizations are working hard to protect not only Ukrainians but also Russian and Belarusian conscientious objectors and deserters from prosecution and to help them gain asylum. This slogan was popular in the 1980s, when the peace movement reached its peak in Germany. “Imagine! There is a war, but no one is going to the battlefield!” This slogan is still relevant today.
