August M
Ukraine’s armed forces are under mounting pressure as the war drags on, facing shortages of equipment, relentless Russian attacks and an increasingly serious internal challenge.
Alongside battlefield demands, the military is struggling with a rising number of soldiers leaving its ranks, according to official figures and Ukrainian sources.
Desertions rise sharply
DR News reports that since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine’s prosecutor’s office has opened around 310,000 cases against people accused of escaping or fleeing military service.
Almost half of those cases have been registered this year alone, with October marking the highest monthly figure so far.
Ukrainian outlet NV quoted former MP Ihor Lutsenko, now head of a Ukrainian drone unit, as saying that 21,602 soldiers deserted in October. “It’s a very bad record,” he said.
He added: “Every two minutes someone runs away from the army. This is the army’s biggest problem, and thus Ukraine’s biggest problem.”
Morale under strain
Lutsenko warned that the true scale could be even larger, as many cases of desertion are never officially recorded.
Senior figures in Kyiv have acknowledged the seriousness of the issue. Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoljak told The war’s daily update (Krigens døgn) that the length and intensity of the war are taking a toll.
“Nobody had thought that the war would last so long in the same style. That the Russians would throw in an infinite number of men,” Podoljak said.
He added that while desertion is undesirable, the psychological burden on troops is severe. “It’s psychologically tough. Fighting spirit can’t last forever,” he said.
Calls for support
Podoljak also pointed to structural challenges, including Ukraine’s vast front line, which stretches around 1,300 kilometres.
He said greater European involvement could help ease the pressure. “We are talking about increasing investments in the military so that there are more supplies and more drones available at the front,” he said.
A recent report by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy found that overall economic support for Ukraine is now at its lowest level since the start of the full invasion in 2022, with European aid failing to fully offset reduced US backing.
Frontline reality
The rise in desertions comes as Ukraine faces a severe personnel shortage. An analysis earlier this year by the Centre for Eastern Studies in Warsaw estimated the army is short of around 300,000 soldiers.
For those still serving, rotation remains uncertain. Oleksii Hodzenko, a spokesman for the Korsar drone unit of the 38th Marine Brigade, told DR that many soldiers long to return home.
“Of course we all want to go home to our families, but no matter if you are young or old, there is no one to replace us,” he said.
Sources: DR News, NV, Krigens Døgn, Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Centre for Eastern Studies
