Ukraine: more than 100,000 soldiers have deserted since the start of the war with Russia

At a time when the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is in a "hot phase" - as assured by Volodymir Zelensky who even stated that he is ready to cede part of his territory to his enemy in order to lower the intensity of the war and achieve peace -, it has come to light that Kyiv has accused hundreds of thousands of troops of desertion.

Specifically, more than 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have deserted their post since the conflict began in February 2022, according to a report from Associated Press. Of those, about half have done so in the past year.

This figure represents around a third of the total number of troops that Zelensky had at his disposal when the war began. Even sources close to the Ukrainian government are talking about a number closer to 200,000 troops who have decided to desert.

"You see how your friends are getting torn to pieces"

The main reason that has led these hundreds of thousands of soldiers to abandon their post is the psychological and emotional damage they suffer. Depleted by the number of days they have been fighting, knowing that at any moment they could lose their lives, and by the number of friends and acquaintances they have seen die by their side, many took advantage of medical leave due to injuries to avoid returning to the field.

One example is Serhii Hnezdilov, who has been among the few to dare to speak publicly after defecting.

"Being quiet about a huge problem only harms our country. The best way to explain it is imagining you are sitting under incoming fire and from their (Russian) side, it’s 50 shells coming toward you, while from our side, it’s just one. Then you see how your friends are getting torn to pieces, and you realize that any second, it can happen to you," Hnezdilov said. "Meanwhile guys (Ukrainian soldiers) 10 kilometers (6 miles) away order you on the radio: ‘Go on, brace yourselves. Everything will be fine.'"

Zelensky responsible

But there is another reason that has led many soldiers to leave their weapons on the ground and leave: the government of Zelensky and the Army's top commanders. Their management is resulting in Ukraine failing to achieve its goal of defending its territory.

"Because of a lack of political will and poor management of troops, especially in the infantry, we certainly are not moving in a direction to properly defend the territories that we control now," Hnezdilov said.

From the Army's top brass, they hold deserters responsible for the Ukrainian casualties that are occurring in combat. "We had several situations when units fled, small or large. They exposed their flanks, and the enemy came to these flanks and killed their brothers in arms, because those in position did not know that there was no one else around," said one officer who, even so, empathizes with the defectors for the exhaustion they are suffering.

Russia and Ukraine hope Trump will bring peace

After Donald Trump managed to win in the Nov. 5 election, Zelensky and Putin talked about what they expect from the next US president regarding the conflict which they are both involved in.

In the case of Ukraine, Zelensky believes that with Trump the war with Russia could come to an end more quickly. While Putin, who already had the opportunity to talk on the phone with the president-elect, talked with him about steps to be taken to end the war.