Ukraine's army, facing a severe shortage of soldiers, especially infantrymen, to opposed the numerous Russian army, began to take back soldiers who had escaped from service, reports "Reuters".
According to the data of the prosecutor's office, from 2022 so far, nearly 95 thousand criminal cases have been opened for diversion without permission or for the more serious crime - desertion. Only in 2024. the number of these cases represents almost two-thirds of the total number of criminal cases.
In response to this problem, some military units offer deserters the opportunity to return to the service. Ukraine's elite 47th Brigade posted a message on social media, inviting soldiers who had left their bases to rejoin.
"Our goal is to give every soldier the opportunity to return and fulfill their potential," the message says. Within two days of the announcement, over 100 applications were submitted, and the number continues to grow.
According to Ukraine's Military Police, some 6,000 soldiers have returned in the past month alone, with 3,000 of them rejoining the army in just the past three days following the passage of a new law that effectively decriminalized first desertion.
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Military officers say the reasons for desertion range from a difficult adjustment after civilian life to physical and mental fatigue after years of service.
"Some people were trained as drone operators but were sent to the front line due to a lack of infantry," explained Mikhail Perets, an officer from the K-2 battalion of the 54th brigade.
Experts stress that exhaustion is a key factor in the rise in unauthorized diversion.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyi commented on the shortage of soldiers, saying that Ukraine's main problem is a lack of weapons, not people. He also resisted pressure from the US to lower the minimum age for recruitment from 25 to 18.
According to Zelensky, Ukraine's allies have provided the necessary equipment for only a quarter of the new 10 brigades formed in the last year.