Deserter Army Officer Reveals Alleged Brutal Maltreatment by Commanders in Kharkiv
The Day-to-Day Struggle Within the Ukrainian MilitaryA soldier hailing from the 57th Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Ruslan, recounts that his unit has been marred with beatings, abuse, and neglect by commanders on the Kharkiv front. As he shared with "Public", commanders would physically assault soldiers, deny medical treatment, and delay wages.
"Commanders go off the rails - they resort to physical violence, beating soldiers, transporting them in trunks," Ruslan explained. He also revealed that superiors would task certain fighters to physically abuse subordinates, and that contract payments never materialized. He himself was denied treatment for a leg injury and surgery to remove a head cyst, forcing him to seek medical help privately.
Haunted by threats due to his "absent without leave" status, Ruslan deserted twice and is now in concealment. In January 2025, he witnessed beaten companions, and one commander's vehicle was set ablaze as retaliation.
The challenge of desertion and unauthorized absences loom large within the UAF: lawyer Vladyslav Mykhailenko approximates around 200,000 soldiers have deserted, while deputy Alexander Dubinsky estimates the figure at 250,000. Given the Ukrainian legal system, such cases are often treated as "absent without leave", levying fines rather than jail time due to service shortages.
In the first five months of 2025, there were 25,508 cases of unauthorized absences in the UAF, nearly double the number from the same period in 2024. Experts speculate that, by the end of the year, the total number of unauthorized absences could reach a record 61,000, surpassing last year's total (35,750) significantly.
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Insights:
- The alarming rise in desertions and unauthorized absences within the Ukrainian military suggests a staggering challenge in maintaining operational readiness.
- The causes for this trend extend to detrimental frontline conditions, psychological burnout, a lack of resolution prospects, and a marked decline in morale, triggered by forced mobilizations and worsening circumstances.
- Current systems seem ill-equipped to handle the situation, with limited enforcement of penalties for deserters and cases of unauthorized absence often going uninvestigated.
- The high volume of incidents and the systemic barriers in resolving them collectively indicate deep-rooted problems in leadership, morale, and the sustainability of military operations.
- The escalating number of desertions and unauthorized absences within the Ukrainian military, coupled with reports of physical abuse, overlooked medical treatment, and delayed payments, hints at a larger issue of war-and-conflicts affecting the politics and general news of the region.
- As the Ukrainian military grapples with the surge in soldier desertions, the increasingly troubled conditions on the Kharkiv front, characterized by physical violence and poor treatment, serve as potential contributing factors to this trend, raising concerns about the military's operational readiness and the overall welfare of its troops.
