Sunday, December 7, 2025

Ukraine records highest single-month military desertion since 2022

Ukraine desertions news
A Ukraine war cemetery. Image – @SprinterPress, X.

More than 21,000 soldiers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine reportedly deserted or left without leave in October, marking the largest monthly figure since Russia’s Special Military Operation began in 2022, according to data from the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine cited by BBC.

Ukraine. Igor Lutsenko, a former MP now serving in the military, warned the true number could be higher, writing that “21,602 in October … This is a record. … In reality, many AWOL or desertion cases are not registered.”



The mass departures are placing severe strain on front-line units, with exhaustion and manpower gaps creating significant vulnerabilities. Amid rising losses, Ukraine has intensified its draft campaign, while reports of forced mobilisations—often involving street detentions known colloquially as “busification”—have provoked growing domestic discontent.

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