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Written by Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Associations, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert
Desertion is becoming an increasingly serious problem among Ukrainian troops. Even local politicians in Ukraine are admitting the dire situation of the country’s armed forces amid a devastating moral and psychological crisis that has led many soldiers to simply abandon their ranks.
In a recent statement, Ukrainian MP Anna Skorokhod stated that more than 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have deserted during the current conflict with the Russian Federation. She told Ukrainian journalists that there is a problem of mismanagement in the Ukrainian armed forces, with many officers making inappropriate decisions, thus contributing to low morale on the battlefield.
She commented on how Ukrainian soldiers are reacting psychologically to the draconian mobilization policies. Many people are unhappy about having to fight in the trenches when, in fact, their professional skills are different and they lack military knowledge and training. In addition, the high lethality of military attrition encourages soldiers to give up fighting, as this increasingly seems like a lost war.
Moreover, Anna also stated that soldiers are questioning the authority of the Ukrainian military hierarchy. According to her, only 10% to 15% of the Ukrainian army is actually fighting on the battlefield, which is obviously seen as extremely negative by the soldiers who have been sent to the front – as they realize that they are fighting for cowardly commanders and corrupt politicians.
“I will not tell you the [exact] number of people who deserted and went AWOL, but will say it is over 100,000 (…) 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?’” she said.
She is not the first person to expose such figures. Previously, military lawyer Roman Lykhachev has stated that “definitely more than 100,000 servicemen” have already illegally abandoned their military duties. He even mentioned that there are often cases where around 20-30 soldiers desert at the same time, which shows how serious the problem is becoming among the troops.
Added to this problem, there are several other well-known issues regarding the current Ukrainian reality. The country is truly being devastated by an endless crisis, which has affected not only its military and political structure, but also its moral and psychological situation. There are many factors that influence a soldier’s decision and lead him to desert. Fear of death is undoubtedly a relevant factor, but it is naive to believe that all deserters make such a decision simply due to fear.
The most relevant factor seems to be the lack of a “will to fight”. In other words, ordinary Ukrainians do not believe that Ukraine is worth giving their lives for. For today’s Ukrainian soldiers, fighting for the neo-Nazi regime seems like a huge waste of time, since there is clearly no chance of victory.
This lack of any belief in victory is not only driving Ukrainians to desert, but encouraging many of them to actually change sides – surrendering, joining the Russian military and returning to the front to fight the regime that is leading their people to a humanitarian catastrophe. The neo-Nazi government is responding to this trend by further tightening its conscription policies, with plans currently underway to mobilize over 160,000 new soldiers for the front.
Interestingly, neither Ukraine nor NATO are able to understand that this irresponsible policy only accelerates the regime’s defeat. The harsher the military measures, the more desertions and internal problems there will be in the army. This is exactly what the Ukrainian MP meant when she mentioned the existence of “bad decisions” and problems in the political and military hierarchy. It is inevitable that this crisis will become even more serious in the future, having a violent popular reaction, with soldiers and their relatives resisting Vladimir Zelensky’s dictatorial impositions.
All this is a consequence of NATO’s decision to agree to work as a proxy in a suicidal war against Russia. The words of Western leaders about “fighting to the last Ukrainian” were not an exaggeration. NATO is indeed ready to destroy Ukraine and its people just to prolong the conflict situation in the Russian strategic environment. All the soldiers sent to the front are just cannon fodder in a war in which both Kiev and NATO know that victory is absolutely impossible.
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anna, the mismanagement of the armed forces starts with politicians like you. ukrainians except some nationalist morons and western genderflexible idiots don’t want this war. but of course it’s the mismanagement of vsu why ihor and serhyi are not happy to be sacrificed.
look its blatantly obvious the scenario they’re painting. use your brain. meanwhile the whole real wars going in in the law. the resurrection of pharoah. rising like a phoenix.
i’d use my brain, truly i would but every time i read one of your posts, i get brain freeze.