Kyiv [Ukraine], November 30: Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are believed to have deserted amid the military's troubles on the battlefield.
Defense News on November 29 quoted Ukrainian soldiers, lawyers and officials as saying that thousands of soldiers had deserted and fled their frontline combat positions. Some commanders and soldiers said that in some places, entire units had abandoned their positions, leaving the frontline at risk of being controlled by the enemy while their comrades were in danger.
Some took medical leave and then never returned. Some clashed with their commanders and disobeyed orders, sometimes in the middle of combat.
Some said they felt exhausted by the intensity of the fighting, and were affected psychologically and emotionally. They felt guilty for not being able to maintain their will to fight, angry about the administration, and frustrated about their inability to win.
An officer from Ukraine 's 72nd Brigade said the force was exhausted and that desertion was one of the main reasons Kyiv lost the town of Vuhledar in October.
More than 100,000 soldiers have been charged under the desertion law since February 2022, according to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office. Nearly half of them were absent without permission in the past year, after Ukraine launched a controversial military mobilization. That number is considered very large, considering that the number of Ukrainian soldiers in combat before the mobilization was estimated at 300,000. The actual number of deserters is believed to be higher.
The desertions are depriving Ukraine's military of needed manpower and affecting its battle plans at a crucial time, potentially putting the country at a disadvantage in future ceasefire negotiations.
"This is a serious problem. This is the third year of the war and the problem will only get worse," said independent military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko in Kyiv.
The desertions come as the US calls on Ukraine to lower the military draft age from 25 to 18 to allow for more recruits. In April, Ukraine passed a law lowering the military draft age from 27 to 25, allowing for an additional 50,000 soldiers.
Ukrainian officials have responded recently that the country needs weapons more than troops, according to Reuters. "We are in a situation where we need more equipment to equip all the mobilized personnel. And we believe that the priority is for military aid to be provided more quickly," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said on November 28.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper