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Hello and welcome to Spectator Out Loud.

We're each week, we choose some of our favourite pieces from the magazine and ask their writers to read them aloud.

I'm Oscarskregginson

and on the podcast this week. Svetlana Mognette takes us inside Ukraine's new plan for mass

conscription. Paul Mason reads his diary on how Labour is right to ditch its 28 billion

Green Pledge. Robbie Mallet tells us about life as a scientist working in Antarctica.

And Lloyd Evans reads his life column. Up first, Svetlana Munchets.

In the Second World War, the average age of a combat soldier was 26. In the Falklands,

it was 23. For Ukrainian soldiers, it's 43.

The war in Ukraine has been so far fought mostly by fathers, so their sons and daughters

can rebuild the country when the fighting ends.

But resisting Russia has cost so much and has continued for so long that the Ukrainian army is depleted. What to do next is a

question that's not just divided the country, but it's two foremost leaders, President

for Ludem Re Zelenskyy and Valeresealuzny, the head of the military. Ukraine's 600-mile

front line is been defended by 880,000 soldiers, according to Zelenskyy.

Most of them have had no rest from fighting since the start of the full-scale war two years ago.

Zaluzni, Ukraine's Iron General, who played a key role in repelling Russian attacks and

reclaiming around half of the territory initially

ceased, wants to recruit up to half a million more men. Building up reserves will allow the

...