Q&A: The Obligation to Fight in the Ukrainian Army
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
The Obligation to Fight in the Ukrainian Army
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Do you think a Ukrainian soldier has a moral obligation to fight against the Russians? Or perhaps, since this is a war that is doomed from the outset, there is no point in fighting?
Best regards,
Answer
It is not clear that this is a lost war. On the contrary, the assessments I have read say that the Ukrainians definitely have a chance of wearing down the Russians. But in principle, if it is clear to you that the war is lost, I think there is permission to evade service. A person is not obligated to commit suicide for no reason.