In the three-year-old Russia-Ukraine war, one of the most significant issues facing Kyiv is a shortage of manpower. In a battle of attrition, the manpower and quantity of equipment are the biggest strengths of a military force.
Ukraine has been able to somewhat compensate for its lack of equipment with Western supplies. However, the lack of manpower has consistently hindered Kyiv’s ability to defend itself against the Russian onslaught.
Before the war began, Russia’s population was already nearly 3.7 times bigger than Ukraine’s. However, since the war started, a significant part of Ukraine, along with its population, has merged with Russia. Additionally, millions of Ukrainians have fled to European countries to escape the war.
Ukraine has demonstrated considerable ingenuity in repelling the Russian invasion; however, its limited manpower means that Kyiv is consistently at a disadvantage against Moscow.
In addition to this handicap, Ukraine now faces a new concern—the rising number of desertions from the frontline.
Ukraine’s Rising Desertions From The Frontline
According to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office, since the war began in 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have witnessed more than 250,000 desertions. These numbers include both AWOLs (absences without official leave) and desertions from the front line.
More than 250,000 criminal cases have been opened into soldiers’ absence without leave (AWOL) and desertion since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing the Prosecutor General’s Office.
The official data was provided under the “Unified Report on Criminal Offenses” under Article 407 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Unauthorized abandonment of a military unit or place of service).
As many as 202,997 criminal cases were opened into unauthorized abandonment of military units, also known as absence without leave, from 2022 to July 2025. A total of 15,564 people were officially charged with the crime.
The Prosecutor General’s Office also said that 50,058 desertion cases were opened in the same period, and 1,248 individuals were charged with desertion.
Under Ukraine’s martial law, men aged 25 to 60 can be conscripted into the armed forces.
Some 250,000 desertions in more than three years may not seem like a large number. However, as the saying goes, ‘Devil is in the Detail,’ these numbers hide a brutal truth, which is that the number of desertions in the Ukrainian Army is rising continuously, and that also at an alarming pace.
For instance, there were nearly 7,000 AWOL cases in 2022, 17,658 in 2023, 67,840 in 2024, and 105,500 from January to July 2025.
Similarly, for desertion, there were approximately 3,400 cases in 2022, 7,900 in 2023, 23,300 in 2024, and 15,400 from January to July 2025.
Together, the Ukrainian Army recorded nearly 10,400 desertions (including AWOL) in 2022, 25,558 in 2023, 91,140 in 2024, and 120,900 in the first seven months of 2025.
Hellbound and Down 