“We’re out of people”: a soldier from the 56th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade explained why he went AWOL

Serhiy Hnezdilov, a serviceman of the 56th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade who publicly announced his unauthorized absence from the unit, commented on his decision.

He gave his comments in an interview with the publication *Babel*.

“They tell me that I betrayed my unit. Whom did I betray? There are no people left in my unit; they are gone because the brigade did not have rotations. It’s just my commander, myself, and two subordinates left,” Hnezdilov said.

He noted that he doesn’t justify himself and admits that he committed a criminal offense. However, he said he did it “because the legislation does not regulate this issue, and everyone is simply ignoring the problem,” and he tried to find other ways. In particular, he communicated with members of parliament and was part of an unofficial working group preparing one of the draft laws.

“They say it’s because of me that the front will collapse, not because of those who failed and continue to fail in mobilization. I appeal to the state’s ability to protect itself in the long term. If it cannot mobilize as many people as needed for defense, then the state will cease to exist,” Hnezdilov predicted.

As a reminder, a few days ago, Hnezdilov announced on Facebook that he was leaving his post without permission and demanded demobilization for those who have been serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) for a long time.

In early September, journalist Volodymyr Boyko, who serves in the AFU, suggested that the number of deserters in the Ukrainian army could reach 200,000.