Andriy Yermak, who is thought to be one of the most powerful figures in Ukraine’s government, admitted that Kyiv was struggling to call up more soldiers to fight Russia.
The stark admission from the chief of staff comes amid reports this week that Ukrainian frontlines are on the brink of collapse.
During a frank interview with Politico, Mr Yermak said Ukrainians were “growing tired” and “flagging” after two years of constant war with Russia.
However, he insisted that Ukrainians were still committed to fighting against the occupiers, saying: “People may say they are tired, but if you ask them whether they want to compromise with Russia, they are emphatic and say no.”
He continued: “And the fact that people remain in Ukraine with their families is confirmation that in general the mood of the people is still strong. We know people are flagging and we hear it from regional governors and from the people themselves. And that’s why my president, why we go to some of the most dangerous places — our security people hate it — because the president and his chief of staff can’t be afraid, and the main goal is for Ukraine to win, and we tell people: ‘Your name will be in the history books.’
“Of course, it is only natural that people are tired — two years is a long time. But people still believe in our victory.”
Mr Yermak also admitted that, although Ukraine badly needs more troops, Kyiv could face a revolt if it attempted to carry out a new military mobilisation.
In December, President Zelensky said that 500,000 more soldiers needed to be mobilised, a call echoed by his former armed forces commander General Valery Zaluzhny.
However, Mr Yermark explained that Ukraine’s leadership now understood that a huge new mobilisation order would not have the backing of the people.
Earlier this week, President Zelensky tried to fill the military shortages by signing into law a bill lowering the military mobilisation age by two years from 27 to 25.
Meanwhile, high-ranking Ukrainian military officers told Politico earlier this week that the country’s frontlines were at risk of collapse within weeks.
Speaking anonymously, top officers said Russia will likely be able to “penetrate the front line and crash it in some parts” when they launch a new offensive.
One top-ranking military officer said: “There’s nothing that can help Ukraine now because there are no serious technologies able to compensate Ukraine for the large mass of troops Russia is likely to hurl at us. We don’t have those technologies, and the West doesn’t have them as well in sufficient numbers.”
President Zelensky himself has warned that unless Ukraine receives more military aid his forces will have to “go back, retreat, step by step, in small steps” and that major cities could be at risk of falling to Russian forces.
Mr Yermark predicted that Russia could launch a new counteroffensive at the end of May or the beginning of June.
The head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office said that Vladimir Putin is preparing a new wave of mobilisation, and Ukrainian forces “have to be ready” for new attacks.
He repeated calls for more Patriot surface-to-air missiles from the US to defend the fragile frontlines, where the Russians are causing massive damage with aerial-guided bombs.
