Wartime Ukraine faces crushing labor shortage

Viktor Bas, who lost his legs many years ago, is back to work. He offered to come out of retirement to rejoin the military after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

The military did not have him return to active service, but ever short on personnel, they hired him as a civilian contractor to keep Ukraine's Soviet-era armored vehicles operational.

Many areas of Ukraine's economy have experienced labor shortages during wartime. More than 10% of the population has fled abroad, and the men who stayed have been conscripted to fight Russia. 

DW's Nick Connolly explores how Ukraine has tried to fill its labor shortage — and how some employers are not yet open to bringing the elderly and the disabled back to work.