Flight, flight or flight! If you a soldier in Ukraine, that’s the new normal for you. In a massive setback for Kyiv, dozens of its elite soldiers have deserted while being trained in France, news agency AFP has reported.
A French army official confirmed the news but emphasized that the number of deserters is small.
Well, the number might be small but it showcases the dying morale of Ukraine’s military.
The elite unit, known as the 155th Mechanized Brigade, was designed to be one of Ukraine’s top military forces.
It is called “Anne of Kiev”, named after, a medieval prince of Ukraine, who married French King Henry I. This unit was personally inspected by French President Emmanuel Macron in October during a visit to northeast France.
So far, France has trained about 2,300 Kyiv soldiers, and most of them have received training in Ukraine itself. The French army official explained that the soldiers stayed in barracks in France and were allowed to leave them. However, the official added that discipline during the training was managed by the Ukraine’s military, not the French, and France had no power to arrest any deserters.
Mikhail Drapaty, Ukraine’s recently appointed commander of the Land Forces, admitted that there are challenges. “Yes, there are problems, and we are aware of them,” he told AFP. The report added that, most of the Kyiv soldiers sent to France were new recruits with no prior combat experience. They were accompanied by around 300 Ukrainian supervisors.
Earlier this month, a well-known Ukraine journalist, Yury Butusov, reported that “dozens” of soldiers had deserted while in France. Additionally, he said about 1,700 others had gone missing while serving in Ukraine. He also revealed that the senior commanders of the brigade are either being fired or have already been dismissed.
When asked about these claims, Drapaty acknowledged that some of the reported events were true but argued that the scale of the issue might have been overhyped. The brigade has since posted a message on social media, asking soldiers who went AWOL (Absent Without Leave) to return. “We understand you may have had different reasons for leaving. Please come back. We are waiting for you,” the message read.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation is looking into cases of desertion and possible abuse of power within the brigade. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov also announced a detailed review of the Land Forces Command. He said reforms would be introduced to improve management.
Ukraine’s military continues to face challenges, including shortages of soldiers and low morale. The soldiers, journalists, and military bloggers are increasingly speaking against the government’s handling of the war.
An MP from Ukraine last year claimed that as many as 100,000 soldiers may have either deserted or went AWOL during the first nine months. Anna Skorokhod, the lawmaker, revealed that some of the soldiers who have went AWOL are quite high-profile, skilled at their job. Desertion, or soldiers leaving the army without permission, has become so common in Ukraine that the government has made a surprising decision. In August, 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.
After Trump’s reelection in US, most of these soldiers are hoping that peace will return to their homeland and the war will end. It means they might not have to sacrifice their lives for a megalomaniac leader.