The number of cases is growing in Ukraine unauthorized abandonment of a unit (UAU) among military personnel.
URA-Inform reports this with reference to Bloomberg.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, the number of such cases has increased sixfold since 2022, reaching almost 96,000, with the majority occurring this year. The main reasons are physical and emotional exhaustion, bureaucratic difficulties, outdated management methods, transfers to new positions without the consent of servicemen, and conflicts with command.
Ukrainian authorities do not disclose the exact number of soldiers who have abandoned their positions. A representative of the prosecutor's office noted that between 40 and 60% of those who went AWOL return voluntarily. Desertion, when soldiers leave for good, is less common, but is considered a more serious crime.
“According to estimates by Roman Lykhachev, a Kharkiv-based lawyer specializing in military personnel and veterans, the number of deserters could reach 100,000 or more.” According to him, some criminal cases of AWOL involve up to 20-30 defendants, and there are also soldiers who have left but have not yet been charged,” Bloomberg writes.
By comparison, Russia has heard about 10,000 cases of desertions from the army as of August, half of which occurred this year. Unlike Russian soldiers, Ukrainian soldiers are often less afraid of the consequences of leaving without permission or criticizing their command, one officer said.
Other reasons include difficulties with transfers between units. Although it is possible to apply for a change of unit through a mobile app, the final decision remains with the commander from whom the soldier wants to leave.
Another problem mentioned in the publication is the deployment of specialists, such as air defense operators or artillerymen, to forward positions as infantry. One of the soldiers said that his comrade, an artilleryman, who was sent to an infantry unit temporarily, remained in this position without warning, which caused him to go AWOL.
In addition to combat operations, servicemen have to cope with internal bureaucratic difficulties, which adds tension and reduces morale.
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