Armed forces in distress Why more and more Ukrainian soldiers are deserting
Many soldiers have been at the front for a long time and are completely exhausted. Others have just been called up and are inexperienced. Some simply withdraw - sometimes in the middle of a battle. The accumulation of such cases comes at the worst possible time for Kiev.
01.12.2024, 00:00
dpa
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- The number of desertions from the Ukrainian armed forces is in the tens of thousands.
- The problem is apparently far greater than previously known, which is why important battles have already been lost.
- In some cases, entire units are said to have abandoned positions against their orders.
Ukraine is short of ammunition, but also of soldiers. And while the majority of troops are bravely defending themselves against Russian attacks despite being outnumbered, it is becoming increasingly common for members of the Ukrainian armed forces to simply abandon their posts. Others no longer report back to duty after receiving medical treatment and go into hiding. According to the AP news agency, the number of desertions is in the tens of thousands.
According to reports from lawyers, commanders and some deserters who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, the problem is far greater than is widely known. According to these reports, important battles at the front were recently lost because of this. In some cases, entire units are said to have abandoned positions against their orders. This weakened defensive lines and enabled Russian advances, it is said.
"This problem will only get worse"
The matter is really critical, says Olexandr Kovalenko, a military analyst based in Kiev. "This is the third year of the war, and this problem is only going to get bigger." There are also said to be desertions on the Russian side. But for Ukraine, the consequences are more serious in view of the general shortages. The resulting loss of territory could significantly weaken the country's position in any future negotiations.
"It's clear that, frankly, we've already got the maximum out of our people," says an officer from the 72nd Brigade, which had long defended the Ukrainian city of Wuhledar. According to him, desertions were one of the main reasons why the strategically important city had to be abandoned in October.
Over 100,000 soldiers charged
According to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office, more than 100,000 soldiers have been charged under the country's desertion laws since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022. The number is enormous - especially since until a controversial mobilization this year, the total number of Ukrainian soldiers in combat operations was estimated at around 300,000. The number of unreported cases could even be much higher. According to a member of parliament familiar with military affairs, there may have been as many as 200,000 desertions.
Psychologically and emotionally devastated
In many cases, these are soldiers who do not return to the front after a time-out for medical reasons. After months or even years of continuous deployment, they are often not only exhausted, but mentally and emotionally devastated. Some feel guilty because they can no longer muster the will to fight for their country again. Others are angry about the way the war is being waged - or frustrated because victory seems unattainable.
"Keeping such a big problem quiet only harms our country," said Serhiy Hnesdilov, one of the few soldiers who have spoken openly about their decision to desert. Shortly after his interview with the AP in September, he was also charged. After five years of military service, he said he saw no hope of ever being demobilized - and if there was no end to it, it would "become a prison," he said. "It then becomes psychologically difficult to find reasons to defend this country."
Another deserter spoke of nightmares that still plague him to this day. You have to imagine that 50 bullets are coming at you and you can only fire one yourself, he says. "Then you see your own comrades being torn to pieces and you realize that this could happen to you at any moment." At the same time, someone ten kilometers away says over the radio: "Come on, pull yourselves together. Everything will be fine."
It is particularly serious when soldiers abandon their positions in the middle of a battle, says the head of the legal department of a brigade, who is responsible for handling such cases and passing them on to the law enforcement authorities. "We had several situations where units, large and small, fled. They exposed flanks and the enemy came to these flanks and killed their comrades because those who were in the positions didn't even know that there was no one around."
"At this stage, I don't condemn any of the soldiers"
In Wuhledar, where the Ukrainian armed forces were particularly short of soldiers, around 20 percent of "losses" were recently desertions, says an officer from the 72nd Brigade, who was one of the last to withdraw from the city. "The percentage has increased exponentially from month to month," he emphasizes. Nevertheless, he can understand the men. "At this stage, I'm not judging any of the soldiers," he says. "Because they are all just exhausted."
It is said in armed forces and law enforcement circles that charges would be avoided if soldiers could be persuaded to return to duty after all. However, if a deserter is finally charged, the defense is difficult, emphasize lawyers who deal with such cases.
They usually refer to the psychological state of the client at the time of the desertion, says lawyer Tetjana Iwanowa. "People can no longer cope psychologically with the situation they find themselves in and they don't receive any psychological help," she emphasizes. However, if a soldier is acquitted because of this, a dangerous precedent would be set, the lawyer admits. Because "then almost everyone would be entitled" to desert because "there are almost no healthy people left in the infantry".
