“Everyone is exhausted. The mood has changed”: The Guardian reports that the Ukrainian army is facing a “desertion crisis”

The Ukrainian army faces a “desertion crisis”.

This was reported by the British newspaper The Guardian.

The exact number of soldiers who have gone AWOL remains a military secret, but according to the newspaper’s sources and official representatives, the figure is significant.

The publication states that Ukraine is facing a critical shortage of manpower, and newly formed brigades, built from scratch, have performed poorly.

A deserter named Viktor says that “everyone is exhausted.”

“The mood has changed. People used to embrace soldiers on the streets. Now, they worry about being drafted into the army,” he stated.

Viktor told the newspaper that he deserted openly. He returned to his brigade in August 2023, but he was told he was no longer needed. Previously a sniper, he now runs a garage in western Ukraine, where he repairs equipment.

Another deserter, Alexei, is in hiding. He said he took part in Ukraine’s offensives in the southern Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. In the winter of 2022, he had a conflict with a new commander, unsuccessfully applied for a transfer, and suffered an injury.

“I reached my breaking point. So, I decided to go somewhere where no one would find me,” he said.

Since then, Alexei has been in hiding.

“We’ll see what happens. Maybe they’ll catch me and send me to the front lines,” he said.

He added that he would take up arms again if Russian forces entered his city or if the Ukrainian army truly transformed into a NATO-style force with better generals. When asked if he was happy, he replied: “I am alive. The longer the war drags on, the more people there will be like me.”

Earlier, the situation in the 155th Brigade became the subject of an investigation due to mass desertion—first during training in France, and then on a larger scale after their arrival at the front, following heavy losses in intense battles.