The Ukrainian army is facing a critical shortage of soldiers. This is what the Polish newspaper Wyborcza writes, citing conversations with Ukrainian officers.
The shortage of soldiers in some parts of the front is becoming critical for Kiev. Ukrainians are increasingly using robots that will not replace people in the trenches, but can reduce losses among soldiers.
“There is a huge shortage of people, and I think this applies to all departments. In the infantry, which I represent, the shortage is critical“, one of the Ukrainian front commanders said anonymously in an interview with Wyborcza.
Since the fall of 2023, the Russian army has been capturing more cities in the Donetsk region and the Ukrainians are being forced to retreat. The lack of personnel is one of the main reasons for the instability of the front line.
The Ukrainian army is also facing a major problem of desertion. In addition to combat losses, there are many cases of unauthorized desertion from units. According to media reports, from January to October, 100-150 thousand cases of unauthorized abandonment of units and desertion were registered.
Ukrainian military commanders say that in addition to basic training at the training center, it is important to transfer real combat experience from veterans to new recruits directly to the combat unit. If this is not done, then the new soldiers will “suffocate“, will not resist and will flee the battlefield.
Yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on his Western allies “urgently reinforce Ukraine on the battlefield“ at a time when Kyiv's forces have been losing territory to the Russian army for months.