Ukraine’s armed forces could call up all female citizens of Ukraine aged between 20 and 50 to join the fight against pro-Russian separatists in the country’s eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, Vladislav Seleznev, spokesperson for the armed forces’ high command told Ukrainian news agency Unian today.

The former Soviet republic has been hard pressed for resources to combat the Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk since fighting erupted in the regions between the newly formed pro-EU government and pro-Russian groups a year ago.

Ukrainian finance minister Natalya Yaresko estimated the war is costing Ukraine $10 million dollars a day, earlier today. European finance ministers agreed to loan Ukraine €1.5 billion in addition to the €15 billion loan programme agreed by the EU and Ukraine last March, as the Ministry of Finance has estimated that the war has shrunk the country’s economy by 20%.

However, Kiev is unwilling to scale back its military in response to its economic problems as it is now prepared to extend the bracket for the nation-wide call to military service towards female citizens in a bid to reinforce its national security services and deliver on its plans to mobilise and enlist 200,000 Ukrainians in its arm forces by the end of 2015.