30,000 soldiers: Ukraine has prosecuted these many soldiers for desertion in the first nine months of this year. But that’s not the complete picture. An MP from Ukraine has now revealed that as many as 100,000 soldiers have either deserted or went absent without official leave.
Anna Skorokhod said Tuesday, “I will not tell you the (exact) number of people who deserted and went AWOL, but will say it is over 100,000.”
But mind you! Only the military knows the exact figure!
Some of the soldiers who have went AWOL are quite high-profile, skilled at their job. Certainly, their absence has hit the morale of the troops extremely hard.
Skorokhod now says for many soldiers in Ukraine, the Zelensky regime is more dangerous than Russia.
The MP says she has been receiving complaints from soldiers and their families about the behavior of the higher-ups. She added, People are raising questions that I cannot provide answers to. ‘Why must I, a repair shop worker from just a month ago, sit in the trenches while senior officers are far away from the front line? Why just 10% to 15% of the army personnel are actually participating in combat?’”
Desertion, or soldiers leaving the army without permission, has become so common in Ukraine that the government has made a surprising decision. On August 20, Ukraine’s parliament decided not to punish soldiers who try to escape from the army for the first time. However, this new rule only applies if the soldiers agree to return to their duties.
One of the biggest reasons for this situation is low morale, or feeling unmotivated and tired. Many soldiers are exhausted from being constantly on the front lines. They have to keep fighting for long periods without any breaks, even when they’re under heavy fire. Some soldiers have told reporters that since Russia attacked Ukraine two years ago, they have barely had any time to rest, moving from one battle to the next.
In theory, soldiers are supposed to be allowed 10 days of leave twice a year. However, due to a shortage of soldiers, even these short vacations often get delayed. Soldiers and their families are now demanding more frequent breaks. Some are asking for longer vacation periods, ranging from one month to three years, so they can recover and spend time with their families.
A soldier named Serhii Hnezdilov, who is also a journalist, was placed under investigation after he shared his experience on Facebook. He explained that he chose to leave the army in protest against the poor conditions. In an interview with The Times newspaper in the UK, he said that prison seemed a better place than the army because at least there, he would know when he could leave.
Experts believe the increasing desertion are connected to Ukraine’s shortage of soldiers on the battlefield. To try and fill this gap, the government has been actively mobilising new fighters. In some battles, as few as five to seven soldiers are having to face around 30 Russian soldiers, which makes the fighting condition even tougher for those on the front lines.
Now, who is responsible for this mess? The supreme leader, Zelensky, again blames EU and the US. Kyiv officials always find it convenient to point fingers at delayed aid from US even though they won’t put in efforts to reach a peace deal with Russia. It’s high time the comedian realises that playing with the innocent lives of his own soldiers is not a joke and he must immediately seek a ceasefire from the Kremlin.