Those who receive training abroad do not want to smell gunpowder either.
Ukrainian soldiers are deserting en masse, according to statistics published by the Ukrainian news agency Unian.
Comparing the data examined since the outbreak of the war, they write: - in 2022, six thousand cases,
- in 2023, sixteen thousand cases,
- in the first two months of 2024, 4,690 cases were already registered.
This means that at this rate, by the end of the year, the number of soldiers who leave their units without permission may approach 30,000.
According to Ukrainian law, anyone who deserts or fails to report to his unit on time can be punished with up to three years in prison.
A veteran previously admitted to Unian that desertion is a growing problem. For example, he recalled a case when two soldiers received training abroad, but never returned to Ukraine. However, he hastened to add that this still clearly means few people.
He saw the reason for the increase in the number of deserters in the fact that more and more men were being conscripted by force.
At the same time, the Ukrainians often report that the Russians are leaving their units there en masse.
British intelligence reported last summer that hundreds of Russian soldiers are fleeing every week because they refuse to fight against Ukraine any longer.
Cover image: Ukrainian civilians take part in the training of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army (UDA) in the Kyiv region - the question is how voluntary it is
Source: MTI/EPA/Serhii Dolzhenko
