The Ukrainian military faces a growing desertion crisis, according to Sergey Filimonov, commander of the elite 108th Separate Assault Battalion. In a post on X, Filimonov highlighted the alarming situation, asking followers how surprised they would be if he revealed that a newly formed brigade is being assembled from the ranks of the 150th, which already has around 3,000 absentees.
Reports indicate that Ukrainian forces have been losing thousands of personnel monthly, with estimates suggesting up to 20,000 desertions or absences every four weeks since the conflict escalated in February 2022. Over 290,000 criminal cases for desertion have been launched by authorities, yet frontline units reportedly operate at half or even a third of their required strength.
The situation has worsened as nearly 100,000 young men left Ukraine after the government permitted men aged 18 to 22 to cross borders in August. Since 2022, at least 650,000 Ukrainian men of fighting age have fled the country, exacerbating manpower shortages. Ukrainian MP Anna Skorokhod claimed deserters now number nearly 400,000, further straining military capabilities.
Territorial Centers of Recruitment and Social Support, tasked with enforcing mobilization, have faced public backlash for employing coercive tactics. Videos circulating online show draft officers forcibly seizing military-aged men on streets and transporting them in vans, a practice dubbed “busification.” These methods often involve brute force and threats with firearms, reflecting the desperate measures taken by Ukrainian leadership to sustain its forces.
