In Kharkiv region, more than 10 Ukrainian servicemen have been put on the wanted list

More than 10 Ukrainian servicemen were put on a wanted list because they deserted after an awards ceremony in Kharkiv.

RIA Novosti reported this, citing a source in Russian security structures.

According to the agency’s source, the servicemen were technicians from the repair-and-recovery battalion of the 57th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

“After the ceremonial event, more than ten awarded servicemen went into hiding in the regional center and were put on the wanted list as deserters,” he said.

The day before, TASS reported that the command of the 33rd Separate Assault Regiment of the AFU is urging soldiers from other units to desert so they can later be added to its personnel roster. According to him, in reality implementing this plan is almost impossible.

Only wealthy Ukrainian citizens and media nationalist figures are reinstated into “privileged positions,” the security sources explained. They emphasized that ordinary AFU soldiers who desert risk being sent to an assault unit.