Kathrine Frich
The growing number of desertions, coupled with harsh internal controls, paints a bleak picture for Russia’s military.
The growing number of desertions, coupled with harsh internal controls, paints a bleak picture for Russia’s military.
From forced compliance to threats of death, commanders are struggling to maintain order.
Soldiers’ bank cards seized
According to the Ukrainian resistance group ATESH, a commander in Russia’s 205th Motorized Rifle Brigade recently collected all bank cards from his unit.
The soldiers were preparing to relocate to the Donetsk region when the cards were confiscated.
This move reportedly aims to block access to personal funds and limit the risk of desertion or self-harm.
Fear mass desertions
As morale continues to decline, Russian officers are taking extreme measures to keep their troops in line.
On the Kherson front, commanders reportedly confiscated soldiers’ bank cards before deployment, fearing they would flee or harm themselves to avoid combat.
ATESH condemned the action as illegal and coercive.
Threats of violence used to silence dissent
The agent embedded within the brigade claims anyone who questions the order is threatened with death.
ATESH said soldiers were warned not to speak out or face being “obnulit,” a Russian slang term meaning to be killed.
The use of such threats shows how strained internal discipline has become within some Russian units.
Deserters could reach 70,000 in 2025 alone
According to Agentstvo Novosti, desertions in the Russian army have doubled this year compared to 2024.
Citing data from Frontelligence Insight, the report estimates that over 70,000 soldiers may desert in 2025, roughly one in ten of Russia’s forces in Ukraine.
The data is based on tens of thousands of service records and internal files.
Most deserters are contract soldiers
The rise in desertions is being driven by contract soldiers rather than conscripts.
These are troops who signed up for pay or benefits and now appear increasingly disillusioned.
Many desert from frontline posts or even medical units, rather than secure rear bases, according to Frontelligence Insight.
Brutal punishments failing to stop the exodus
Despite extreme reprisals. including torture, staged executions and extrajudicial killings, desertions continue to rise.
In some units, commanders try to recapture their deserters, but the overall number keeps growing.
The persistence of these desertions suggests deeper structural and morale problems within Russia’s military ranks.
Soldiers torch their own gear
ATESH previously reported that Russian troops in Kherson deliberately destroyed their own equipment to avoid being sent to the front.
Some soldiers set fire to military vehicles and transport gear to make themselves unfit for combat deployment.
Such acts reflect just how far some are willing to go to escape the battlefield.
This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, which may have used AI in the preparation
