Thursday, January 15, 2026
200,000 Soldiers Missing! Ukraine’s Defense Minister Reveals Massive Desertion Crisis In The Military
By EurAsian Times Desk
-January 15, 2026
Nearly 200,000 soldiers have deserted or gone missing without official leave, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov disclosed on Wednesday.
Speaking before the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, Fedorov also revealed that around 2 million Ukrainians are listed as “wanted” for evading compulsory military service and mobilization obligations.
This marks one of the most shocking but candid acknowledgments from a senior Ukrainian official amid relentless, full-scale war with Russia.
These revelations come amid reports of low morale, exhaustion, and mobilization issues, though Fedorov’s figures represent the first time the scale of the problem has been documented.
Rumours of low morale and high desertion rates have been swirling for a long time, but Fedorov’s comments mark the first time any Ukrainian official has disclosed the scale of the problem.
Under Ukrainian law, all men between the ages of 18 and 60 must register with the military, even though only those aged 25 to 60 are subject to mobilization.
Ukraine’s martial law forbids all men aged 23 to 60 who are suitable for military service from exiting the war-torn country, but thousands have fled.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “broader changes” were needed in the country’s mobilization process.
As EurAsian Times reported earlier, citing the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, the country has seen more than 250,000 desertions since the war began in 2022. These numbers include both AWOLs (absences without official leave) and desertions.
File Image: Ukrainian soldiers
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).
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. 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.
Overall, Ukraine registerednearly 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.
This trend highlights the mounting strain on Ukraine’s armed forces amid prolonged conflict with Russia.
In 2022, the first full year of Russia’s full-scale invasion, nearly 29 soldiers deserted or went AWOL every day on average.
That figure rose sharply to almost 70 per day in 2023, then surged further to around 250 per day in 2024. By the first seven months of 2025, the daily rate had skyrocketed to nearly 576 soldiers leaving their units without authorization.
While some cases involve soldiers seeking transfers or brief absences before returning, the overall scale underscores a critical manpower crisis that Fedorov has pledged to address through reforms, including better frontline support, reduced bureaucracy, and greater integration of advanced technologies.
Lieutenant General Oleksandr Syrsky also acknowledged earlier acute manpower shortages, which are forcing Kyiv to send maintenance staff to the frontline.
“Unfortunately, mobilization capabilities do not cover the need,” Syrsky said. “Therefore, we are taking measures to reduce our logistics component, the support component, and the component engaged in maintenance, within reasonable limits.”
Meanwhile, Russia said that Ukraine was running out of options to strike a deal.
“The situation is deteriorating day by day for the Kyiv regime,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that Kyiv’s “corridor for decision-making” was “narrowing”.
“The time has come for Zelensky to take responsibility and make the appropriate decision,” Peskov said, apparently urging Kyiv to agree to Moscow’s hardline terms.
US President Donald Trump has voiced frustration with both sides, with no breakthrough to end the war. Ukrainian, US, and European negotiators have agreed on a 20-point framework to end the war, Zelensky said, an adjustment to a 28-point proposal originally proposed by Washington that “favoured” Moscow.
Peskov said that dialogue with the United States was continuing.
The Europeans had many talks with the Americans, he said, and that “it is important that the Russian side also present its opinions on these discussions.”
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).
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. 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.
Overall, Ukraine registerednearly 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.
This trend highlights the mounting strain on Ukraine’s armed forces amid prolonged conflict with Russia.
In 2022, the first full year of Russia’s full-scale invasion, nearly 29 soldiers deserted or went AWOL every day on average.
That figure rose sharply to almost 70 per day in 2023, then surged further to around 250 per day in 2024. By the first seven months of 2025, the daily rate had skyrocketed to nearly 576 soldiers leaving their units without authorization.
While some cases involve soldiers seeking transfers or brief absences before returning, the overall scale underscores a critical manpower crisis that Fedorov has pledged to address through reforms, including better frontline support, reduced bureaucracy, and greater integration of advanced technologies.
Lieutenant General Oleksandr Syrsky also acknowledged earlier acute manpower shortages, which are forcing Kyiv to send maintenance staff to the frontline.
“Unfortunately, mobilization capabilities do not cover the need,” Syrsky said. “Therefore, we are taking measures to reduce our logistics component, the support component, and the component engaged in maintenance, within reasonable limits.”
Meanwhile, Russia said that Ukraine was running out of options to strike a deal.
“The situation is deteriorating day by day for the Kyiv regime,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that Kyiv’s “corridor for decision-making” was “narrowing”.
“The time has come for Zelensky to take responsibility and make the appropriate decision,” Peskov said, apparently urging Kyiv to agree to Moscow’s hardline terms.
US President Donald Trump has voiced frustration with both sides, with no breakthrough to end the war. Ukrainian, US, and European negotiators have agreed on a 20-point framework to end the war, Zelensky said, an adjustment to a 28-point proposal originally proposed by Washington that “favoured” Moscow.
Peskov said that dialogue with the United States was continuing.
The Europeans had many talks with the Americans, he said, and that “it is important that the Russian side also present its opinions on these discussions.”
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