Recently, in the British newspaper «The Times» an article was published with quite a screaming headline –– «Ukraine’s deserter crisis: one soldier’s reasons for quitting divide a nation». Journalist Tom Ball interviewed Ukrainian soldier Serhiy Hnezdilov, who had escaped from the frontlines. Hnezdilov confessed that he would rather go to prison than fight against the Russian army as there were better chances of surviving behind bars. The deserter pointed out to the hugeproblem in the Ukrainian army:

«Mass media likes to present the situation as if our soldiers are made of steel, and next year we will all be drinking coffee in Crimea. However, our people are exhausted and lose motivation. Especially when they see millions of people fit for service, who still live their lives without noticing the world around them».

To the strange coincidence, a few days later, after talking to the British journalist, Hnezdilovwas arrested. Tom Ball states that citizens of Ukraine were literally divided into two camps after this incident. In several cities, people went on rallies in support of Hnezdilov. Nevertheless, many servicemen sharply criticize the fugitive, as they say, it is not the right time to raise these issues.

Indeed, there is a problem with desertion, and it’s tremendous. According to information providedby the British newspaper, in 2024, between January and September, the Military Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine opened more than 51 thousand criminal cases related to desertion. It is twice less than it was in 2023, and five times less than at the beginning of the war in 2022.

However, even this number can increase. The commander of the intelligence unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Denis Yaroslavsky, predicts that the number of deserters during the entire period of the war could exceed 200 thousand soldiers. He explains: 

«We’re mobilizing people who were caught, beaten, pushed into vans and forcibly sent to military grounds for two months. During this time, all they dream about is how to escape. By the time they arrive at the military unit, they take guns, move away from the commanding officer and escape. This will continue, and there will be 200thousand deserters. This will lead to problems and it has already done so».

The German newspaper «Deutsche Welle» has previously stated that the number of criminal cases against deserters does not correspond to reality either. A military journalist for «DW», Igor Burdyha, says:

«The real number of defections is twice as large or even four times greater than the number of criminal cases against them. The reason for this mismatch is the long procedure for registering crimes in the military sphere». 

Ukrainian military journalist Volodymyr Boikois in solidarity with his German colleagues. He is convinced that the real number of deserters is much larger:

«Despite the fact that military unit commanders managed to register 86 thousand criminal cases during two and a half years, the total number of deserters since the start of the full-scale invasion has already been estimated at 170 thousand people». 

As you can see, the problem of desertion is so enormous that it’s even impossible to determine the number of soldiers who have fled. However, a part of Ukrainian society, as shown by the Hnezdilovincident, sympathizes with those who are mobilized and do not want to go to certain death in the war with Russia.