A sharp increase in desertion cases among the Ukrainian military in 2024 became an alarming signal against the background of intense hostilities. According to the Financial Times , the number of soldiers who left their posts without permission exceeded the previous two years combined. This problem accompanies the rapid advance of Russian troops at the front, which creates significant pressure on the defense forces of Ukraine.
More Ukrainian soldiers deserted in the first 10 months of 2024 than in the previous two years of the war. Ukraine is trying to replenish its ranks on the front line, while the Russian Federation captures more and more new territories, writes the Financial Times.
The publication reminded that at the end of October, hundreds of infantrymen from the 123rd brigade of military personnel voluntarily left the military unit in Ugledar, Donetsk region. Some soldiers returned to Mykolaiv Oblast, where they staged a public protest demanding more weapons and training for the military.
"We arrived in Vugledar with only automatic weapons. They said there would be 150 tanks, but there were 20, and there was nothing to cover us," an officer of the 123rd TRO brigade told reporters.
In total, from January to October 2024, prosecutors in Ukraine opened 60,000 cases against soldiers for voluntarily leaving their military units, the publication noted. This is almost twice as much as in 2022 and 2023 combined.
Local authorities told journalists that some of the deserters of the 123rd TRO brigade have already returned to the front. However, some of the soldiers continue to hide.
In addition, some military personnel use the opportunity to leave Ukraine, going to foreign training camps. One of the employees of the Polish security service told journalists that on average about 12 Ukrainians flee from military training in the country every month.
The main problem is that the sharp increase in desertion coincided with the rapid advance of the Russians at the front, the publication emphasized. Since the summer of 2024, the Russian Federation has been able to capture more territory in Ukraine than at any time since 2022.
An officer of the 123rd TRO brigade told reporters that there was no rotation in his unit for three years. They usually consist of four weeks, during which soldiers get the opportunity to rest, train with recruits and repair damaged equipment.
"No one needs a charcoal burner. The city had been reduced to ruins over a year ago, so there was no reason to put his people in danger defending it. They just kill them instead of giving them a chance to rehabilitate and rest," he said.
Dozens of other soldiers from Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia regions told reporters that they were exhausted and had mental health problems. According to them, peaceful citizens do not want Ukraine to surrender, but they are not ready to fight either.
An official from the General Staff of the Armed Forces shared with journalists that most of the deserters are infantrymen and attack aircraft who are tired of the war.
