increase in desertion of Ukrainian soldiers; The new challenge of Kiev

According to RCO News Agency, the English publication wrote with this introduction: A clear example of the challenges facing Ukraine was the desertion of hundreds of infantrymen of the 123rd Brigade of Ukraine in the eastern city of Wohldar in October. They returned to their homes in the Mykolaiv district, where protests had erupted demanding more weapons and training.

The Financial Times wrote: One of the officers of the 123rd Ukrainian Brigade said on the condition that his identity not be disclosed: We only reached Vohldar with a few automatic rifles. We were told that 150 tanks were supposed to be there, while there were only 20; There is nothing to protect us.

60,000 desertion cases against Ukrainian soldiers

This article continues: Ukrainian prosecutors have opened 60,000 cases against soldiers who left the service between January and October of this year, and this amount is almost twice the number of cases that were opened from 2022 to 2023. had been If convicted, these soldiers will face up to 12 years in prison.

According to local officials, some soldiers of the 123rd Brigade who left the service have returned to the front line, while others have gone into hiding and others are in pre-trial detention.

The Financial Times continued: Men conscripted into Ukraine have been barred from leaving, while others have escaped by taking the opportunity to be sent abroad to train in Allied camps. A Polish security official, on condition of anonymity, said that on average, about 12 people escape from training courses in this country every month. The Ministry of Defense of Poland referred to the Ukrainian authorities the explanation about the desertion of the Ukrainian soldiers during the training course in this country.

An increase in desertions among the Ukrainian military has worsened the difficult situation in Kiev. Russia’s superiority in terms of manpower, since the summer of this year, has enabled it to continue its conquests at a faster pace than at any time since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022.

At the same time, military analysts say, Ukraine’s inability to rotate troops and allow rest for troops exhausted by long battles has led to rising casualties and spooking men who have signed up for military service.

The officer of the 123rd Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces told the Financial Times that in the nearly three years since the war in Ukraine, his unit has not gone on leave even once. The process usually involves four weeks where soldiers return to their bases to rest, train with reservists and repair damaged equipment.

Pointing out that the strategy of the Ukrainian army to return to Vohldar and defend it was futile, he said: Vohldar was really useless. This city was razed to the ground a year ago and there was no reason for me to risk my forces to defend it. They actually kill the troops instead of allowing them to rest and recuperate.

However, a spokesman for the 123rd Brigade did not respond to a request for clarification.

Fatigue and mental problems of Ukrainian soldiers due to long and continuous battles

This article continues: Many soldiers in Mykolaiv and Zaporizhia shared the view of this officer of the 123rd Brigade and told the Financial Times that they feel tired and depressed and are suffering from psychological problems. They said that while Ukrainian civilians do not want their country to surrender, many are not ready to fight either.

While the number of armed forces of Ukraine is about one million people, only about 35 thousand people are cadres. An official from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that exhausted combatants, which include both infantry and assault troops, account for the largest number of desertions.

Ukraine’s parliament voted on Nov. 21 to loosen the country’s rules that exonerate first-time offenders who leave the service and then return to their units.

This English media wrote: Analysts say that with Russia’s rapid advances on the eastern front, Ukraine is losing parts of its territory that will not be possible to recover in the near future.

According to the assessment of the think tank for the study of war in Washington, Russia will occupy 2,700 square kilometers of Ukraine in 2024, which is compared to 464 square kilometers last year. The flat lands and the lack of Ukrainian fortifications have come to the aid of Moscow’s forces in this regard.

Ukrainian authorities are looking to send about 160,000 more troops in the next three months. But conscription officials have little credibility in Ukraine after several cases of footage of them beating men and forcing them to enlist, as well as reports of military medical commissions approving dubious exemptions in exchange for bribes.

The final part of this article states: Ukraine’s allies, including the United States and England, have asked Kiev to set the age of enlistment below 25 years and enlist more men. An American official said that Washington asked Kiev to lower the age of enlistment to 18 years. He said last week that “the reality is that Ukraine cannot currently provide the soldiers needed to replace the casualties in the field.”

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