In Ukraine, more and more exhausted soldiers are leaving their positions – Bloomberg

In Ukraine, an increasing number of exhausted soldiers are abandoning their positions.

This was reported by Bloomberg, which published stories of military personnel.

On the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Roman Solomonuk shocked his family by voluntarily joining the fight. However, two and a half years later, he joined the growing ranks of Ukrainian soldiers who have surrendered or deserted.

Initially, the 45-year-old man dug trenches near the Russian border. Later, he shot down deadly Shahed drones. However, after clashing with a despotic officer, Roman is now officially wanted for leaving his unit without permission.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, since 2022, around 96,000 criminal cases have been initiated in Ukraine against service members who abandoned their positions following Russia’s invasion. This figure is six times higher than in the previous two years, with most cases filed this year.

As the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) struggle to contain Russian advances, the shortage of personnel is becoming increasingly evident. However, Kyiv is trying to avoid a mass draft, which could harm the economy and frustrate a war-weary population. As a result, some troops are deployed indefinitely without opportunities for rest, and there are few new recruits to replace them.

Many soldiers are simply exhausted, President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged in a radio interview earlier this month. Yet, the Ukrainian leader has resisted setting deadlines for troop rotations, forcing experienced soldiers to question why they should risk their lives while millions of men, many younger, are not serving. For some, going AWOL becomes their only respite—a chance to recover and focus on family life.

“Fatigue plays a role. Or there are personal circumstances, such as when a soldier’s wife is giving birth,” said Oleksandr Hrynchuk from Ukraine’s military law enforcement service. “Or there’s no one else to command a platoon, and the commander hasn’t granted leave.”

Kyiv has not released official figures on the number of soldiers who have gone AWOL. Asked how many are currently classified as such, Hrynchuk declined to comment on “confidential information,” but noted that 40% to 60% of AWOL cases return voluntarily. Desertion, when soldiers leave permanently, is considered a more serious crime but is reportedly rarer, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Roman Lykhachev, a lawyer in Kharkiv specializing in military and veteran cases, estimates that the number of AWOL soldiers could exceed 100,000—close to the 160,000 troops Ukraine has previously said it needs to mobilize. He noted that some criminal cases involve 20-30 defendants, while others concern soldiers who have deserted but have not yet been charged.

By comparison, Russian courts have handled at least 10,000 cases against deserters, half of them this year, according to the news site Mediazona in August. While this highlights a similar issue in Moscow, Russia may be better equipped to manage its personnel losses, given its population is nearly four times larger than Ukraine’s.

Unlike Russia’s strict military discipline, Ukrainian soldiers are reportedly less afraid of the consequences of abandoning their posts or challenging commanders, said a Ukrainian military officer who requested anonymity. He added that higher pay incentivizes Russian troops to remain in position.

For Kyiv, this remains a complex challenge. Last week, Zelensky offered amnesty to soldiers who return to their units by January 1, allowing them to avoid criminal charges.

Since these changes took effect on November 29, approximately 3,000 military personnel have returned to their units, according to military reports.

These developments coincide with complaints from Ukrainian soldiers who say they are fighting not only against the Russians but also against the rigid military bureaucracy of their own country.