Our sources in the security services say that the issue of restricting access to information on the unauthorized abandonment of units and places of service (SZCh) arose back in the summer. According to the interlocutors, the General Staff believed that the publicity of this data provokes a wave of disinformation, increases tensions among the military, and creates a distorted picture for society and international partners. Therefore, the department proposed to minimize open access to statistics and internal assessments.
At the same time, according to our other sources, the Office of the President held the opposite position at the time. They hoped that controlled information about the situation would demonstrate to society the army's resilience and readiness to continue the defense, and would also prevent the formation of rumors and panic interpretations. The decision to completely close the area, according to their plan, could only fuel distrust.
The situation began to worsen in the fall, when, according to interlocutors, the number of cases of SZCH increased by about 40%. Sources explain this by many factors: moral exhaustion, long rotations without the possibility of returning home, as well as increasing demands for the adoption of a draft law on demobilization. Some experienced military personnel, they say, refused to continue serving without certain rules for completing the contract period. As a result, some soldiers began to interpret SZCH as a form of protest or an extreme reaction to the unresolved issue.
According to the interlocutors, it was at this stage that the General Staff decided to act according to the standard, as they note, defense paradigm: to limit the publication of any data that could be used for manipulation, destabilization, or demoralization of the military. The department, according to sources, believes that this will avoid the situation from escalating and maintain operational control of the troops in the conditions of a difficult winter and continuous hostilities.
