War is as much a battle of endurance as it is of firepower. Soldiers can only fight so long without rest, support, and the tools they need to survive.
For Ukraine, locked in a grinding war with Russia, the human strain is becoming increasingly visible. Desertions are climbing, and the stories behind them paint a picture of exhaustion and frustration on the front lines.
Official statistics show a stark rise in Ukrainian soldiers abandoning their posts this year, according to Hotnews.
From January to October 2024, prosecutors opened 60,000 criminal cases for desertion — a figure that doubles the total for the previous two years combined.
The issue came to a head in October when hundreds of soldiers from the 123rd Brigade left their positions in Vuhledar, a devastated city in the Donetsk region.
The soldiers retreated to Mykolaiv, demanding better weapons and relief from the unrelenting pressure of the front. One officer described the harsh reality they faced:
“We arrived with only rifles. They said there would be 150 tanks—there were 20. There was nothing to cover us.”
Some have since returned to fight, while others remain in custody or unaccounted for.
Exhaustion and Equipment Shortages
Ukraine’s military is enormous, with about a million personnel enlisted, but only 350,000 are actively engaged in combat.
Those on the front lines, especially in infantry and assault units, are bearing the brunt of the conflict.
Long deployments, insufficient equipment, and the psychological toll of defending ruins like Vuhledar are pushing many to the breaking point.
Even abroad, challenges persist. In Poland, where Ukrainian troops are trained by allied forces, officials report an average of 12 soldiers deserting from these programs each month.
In an attempt to address the crisis, Ukraine’s parliament recently passed a measure allowing first-time deserters to return to their units without punishment.
Officials hope this will ease the strain on overwhelmed law enforcement while encouraging soldiers to rejoin the fight. Early results suggest some success: around 20% of deserters have already returned, according to lawmaker Vadym Ivchenko.
Meanwhile, Ukraine plans to recruit 160,000 more soldiers over the next three months. The stakes remain high as Russia capitalizes on Ukraine’s thinning lines, gaining significant ground in 2024.
