Ukraine's divisive mobilization law comes into force as a new Russian push strains front-line troops
A divisive mobilization law in Ukraine has come into force as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive that some fear could close in on Ukraine’s second-largest city. The legislation, which was watered down from its original draft, will make it easier to identify every conscript in the country. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also signed separate laws Friday that allow prisoners to join the army and increase fines for draft dodgers fivefold. Thousands of Ukrainians have fled the country to escape the draft, and some risked their lives as they tried to swim across a river to neighboring Romania and Hungary.