Ukrainian MP Maryana Bezuhla revealed that about 250,000 Ukrainian soldiers have illegally left their military units since February 2022, signaling a serious deterioration within the Ukrainian forces.

According to the newspaper “Strana,” Bezuhla said: “The number is staggering. If things continue like this, the number of desertions could reach half of the Ukrainian army’s total strength.”

Bezuhla considered this phenomenon a “dangerous indicator of the overall deteriorating condition within the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” adding: “The main reasons include the absurd orders they receive from their commanders, poor training levels, problems within military rehabilitation centers needing radical reform, inhumane treatment by military leaders, and lack of respect for soldiers.”

Last September, Ukrainian journalist Vladimir Boyko, specializing in army desertion issues, reported about 143,000 desertion and service abandonment cases during the first eight months of 2025, with the total number since February 2022 exceeding 265,000 cases.

Meanwhile, former commander of the 155th Brigade in the Ukrainian forces, Dmitry Ryumshin, who is being investigated for a mass desertion case involving Ukrainian soldiers, estimated by the Ukrainian Security Service at 1,700 out of 2,300 soldiers trained in France, confirmed that the reasons for desertion in France are the same as in Ukraine, emphasizing that the main cause is the lack of trust in the country’s military and political leadership, especially the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Alexander Syrsky.

He added that other contributing factors to the wave of desertion include the absence of real penalties for leaving units, the lack of fixed service terms under martial law, and the conscription of individuals who previously tried to evade military service or lack motivation.

Ukraine declared general mobilization since February 2022, which has been repeatedly extended. Authorities are making intensive efforts to prevent military-age men from evading service, while widely circulated videos on Ukrainian social media show forced conscription and clashes between citizens and recruitment offices in various cities.

Amid severe personnel shortages, recruitment units have intensified campaigns in public places, with reports of physical assaults on detainees. Many men try to leave the country illegally, often risking their lives. As pressure mounts, direct confrontations between citizens and recruitment office representatives are frequently recorded.