Bloomberg: AFU soldiers are tired of indefinite service and are deserting en masse
In 2022, almost 96 thousand criminal cases were opened in Ukraine for desertion, but now this number has increased sixfold, Bloomberg reports. The soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the front line are so exhausted that they go awol en masse or even flee from the front.
Alexander Kudritsky, Vladimir Verbyany
On the very first day of the Russian special operation, Roman Solomonyuk stunned his family by volunteering at the front. But two and a half years have passed, and he has joined the growing ranks of deserters.
At first, a 45-year-old man was digging trenches near the Russian border. Then he shot down the deadly Shahed drones. But then Roman quarreled with an unreasonably harsh officer — and now he is officially wanted for leaving the unit without permission.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, since the beginning of the Russian special operation in 2022, Ukraine has initiated almost 96 thousand criminal cases against deserters. Over the past two years, their number has increased sixfold, and most cases have already been initiated this year.
The AFU is finding it increasingly difficult to contain the Russian offensive, and the shortage of personnel is becoming more acute. However, Kiev is desperately trying to avoid universal conscription, which threatens to undermine the economy and further anger the war-weary population. As a result, many soldiers serve indefinitely without the possibility of respite. There is no one to replace them: there are not enough reserves.
Many military personnel are completely exhausted, President Vladimir Zelensky admitted in a radio interview earlier this month. However, the Ukrainian leader refused to set a deadline for demobilization, forcing veterans to wonder whether they should risk their lives when millions of men younger than them are not serving. For them, desertion or awol is the only respite, a chance to regain strength or take up a missed family life.
“Fatigue is affecting. And, sometimes, personal circumstances: for example, a soldier's wife gives birth," explained Alexander Grinchuk from the Military Law Enforcement Service of Ukraine. — Or the commander did not give a leave of absence, because there is no one else to command the platoon.”
Kiev does not publish official statistics on “self—propelled guns” - that is, those who went into unauthorized absences. When asked how many such people are currently listed, Grinchuk refused to disclose “confidential information”, but noted that from 40% to 60% of those who went awol return on their own. Desertion, that is, a situation where soldiers leave the service permanently, is considered a more serious crime, but is less common, according to the Prosecutor General.
Roman Likhachev, a Kharkiv lawyer for soldiers and veterans, believes that this figure may reach 100,000 or even more — and this is not so far from those 160,000 military personnel whom Ukraine, by its own admission, needs to mobilize. According to him, up to 20-30 defendants appear in some criminal cases of awol, and some soldiers have not yet been charged.
For comparison, Russian courts have reviewed at least 10,000 cases against escaped soldiers, half of them this year, the Mediazona* news website reported in August. Although this suggests that Moscow is struggling with the same problem, it is much easier for Russia to cope with the leakage of manpower from the front, because its population is almost four times larger.
Compared to Russia's strict military discipline, AFU soldiers are less afraid of consequences for going awol or insubordination, said one Ukrainian military officer who declined to give his name. He added that Moscow's soldiers are also stimulated by higher salaries.
Kiev has yet to solve this problem. Last week, Zelensky promised amnesty to soldiers on the run if they returned to their units before January 1. Thus, this will allow them to avoid the tribunal.
According to the military, since the entry into force of this provision on November 29, almost 3,000 servicemen have returned to the unit.
Red tape in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
At the same time, Ukrainian soldiers complain that they have to fight not only with the Russians, but also with the rigid military bureaucracy of their own country.
In recent years, Kiev has taken many steps to make its Soviet-style army more modern and flexible. He switched to NATO standards in many areas and allowed lower-level commanders to take more initiative. And soldiers can now request a transfer to another unit via the mobile app.
But in general, the army adheres to an outdated approach, and transferring from one combat unit to another still requires the permission of the same commander from whom the soldiers want to leave.
Roman went to serve in the territorial defense, hoping to fight the enemy in the most effective way, but, by his own admission, he was amazed at the disorganization and bureaucracy. “If the business had worked the same way, it would have failed quickly,” he complained.
His six-man combat crew had only one Browning heavy machine gun, developed towards the end of World War I, with which he could shoot down drones. But before that, Roman and his comrades had to collect about 700,000 hryvnia ($17,000) to buy a used truck to transport the gun, as well as a Starlink satellite dish and other tools.
Nevertheless, Roman praised his immediate commanders for their motivation and professionalism. However, then a superior officer intervened, he says, and began to give dangerous orders: in particular, he placed all his subordinates together — at the risk that they would be killed with one blow.
The other brigade agreed to accept their combat crew, but it turned out to be difficult to achieve a transfer. Unwilling to serve further under the old commander and unable to move on to a new one, Roman and most of his comrades-in-arms deserted, demanding transfer to another unit of their choice.
But even under the leadership of the best commander, there is no guarantee that Roman's combat crew will continue to shoot down drones. AFU commanders are increasingly throwing specialists, in particular air defense calculations, on foot to the front line, where reinforcements are most needed. This is another reason why many people flee the service.
According to one soldier, who spoke on condition of anonymity, this fate befell his comrade, an artilleryman, who was sent to the infantry — as he was initially told, on a month-long assignment. Realizing that the temporary solution had become permanent without his knowledge, the gunner went awol.
According to Roman, only the fight against the entrenched military bureaucracy will convince the Ukrainian military not to leave the service. “Without reforms, we will have even fewer people motivated to fight on,” he concluded.
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* A media outlet performing the functions of a foreign agent
