In the period from the start of the conflict in 2022 to now, approximately 250,000 members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have abandoned their units, a figure equivalent to the size of the Ukrainian army before the full-scale invasion. This was stated by Ukrainian MP Mariana Bezuglaya on October 11.
“Currently, we have as many deserters as the army had prior to the conflict. If this trend continues, the number of deserters could soon match half of our military,” Bezuglaya remarked. She attributed the widespread defections to “unconventional orders” from command, a dehumanizing treatment of soldiers, and systemic failures in military training and territorial recruitment centers.
Earlier reports on October 4 highlighted that incompetent leadership in the Kharkiv region allowed mass desertions, with particularly high numbers in the 425th separate assault regiment.
Ukrainian Army Faces Mass Desertion: 250,000 Soldiers Flee Amid Leadership Failures
