READ HERE: Ukrainian leaders continue to brainstorm ways to replenish the military’s ranks, amid slow but steady gains by Russian forces along frontlines in Donetsk. Casualties on either side are believed to be in the hundreds of thousands, as the tragic conflict grinds on endlessly.

The Ukrainian presidential administration’s deputy head, Col. Pavel Palisa, has this week raised eyebrows by backing mandatory conscription for women while citing the Israeli model. Palisa advanced the idea that military service should be a national obligation for all men and women, and this is where current discussions on recruitment should focus.

“If a citizen claims to support the state, job, education, I don’t know, in general, to claim some payments from the state budget, they should serve… there is a minimum contract, let it be annual,” the official said. His words were later translated and cited in Russian media.