Thousands of Ukrainians have fled the front, according to authorities. Until March, they were able to return without being punished. DW spoke to some of them:
"What crime? I had family problems!", says Kosyantyn, who deserted from the Ukrainian army. "The crime is actually something else - after I was wounded, they did not send me for rehabilitation, nor did I receive compensation."
Kosyantyn is one of the more than 20,000 soldiers who, according to data from the investigative services of Ukraine, fled the front or refused to fulfill their military duties. In recent months, most of them have voluntarily returned to the army to avoid punishment.
The announced deadline for this amnesty expired in early March. By early 2025, Ukrainian authorities were investigating nearly 123,000 people for desertion.
The number of cases is overwhelming the investigative authorities
As early as 2023 and 2024, the number of such cases reached a level that greatly overwhelmed the investigative authorities. Over the past two and a half years, only 7% of all known cases have been investigated. This led to an unspoken agreement that the authorities would not impose penalties if the commander of a unit managed to convince the deserted soldier to return to service.
This practice was also legally approved by the Ukrainian parliament. Since the fall of 2024 soldiers who have not fulfilled their military obligations or deserted have the right to return to service voluntarily and avoid criminal prosecution.
Later, a new legislative change was made, giving the men affected by the decision a deadline of January 1, 2025, to return to the army. This deadline was further extended by two months - until the beginning of March.
War fatigue and conflicts with the military leadership
“My name is Yevgeny, I am a soldier of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and I was reinstated after desertion“, says the 38-year-old man we meet at the training ground of the 59th Assault Brigade, located on the front near Pokrovsk. “I have been fighting for ten years and I am from Mariupol. The war simply burned me to the ground - it took everything from me, my entire family. But I am tough and have a strong sense of justice," he says.
The soldier says he left his brigade, where he had served since the beginning of the war in 2022, without permission. "I had disagreements with my former commander. He didn't like me and sent me on suicide missions. But I returned from them, and then I deserted," Yevgeny adds.
After the escape, he went to Dnipro, where he lived for a month and a half and illegally started working. "I rested a little, because in all these years at the front I had only one vacation," he says. In the end, he still called the Ukrainian military police, admitted that he had left the service without permission, and asked to return to the army. So he ended up at the front again.
"I have to fight, so I am a soldier from head to toe. When a person from the front returns to one of the large Ukrainian cities, he feels strange and it is hard for him to watch how life goes on there. At first glance, everything looks as if there is no war at all - shops, restaurants, jeeps, Mercedes, Porsches... People live their lives and do not understand what is happening," explains Yevgeny.
Most of them have a serious reason
Yevgeny's commander, who goes by the nickname White, shows understanding towards the former deserters. According to him, most of them had a serious reason for escaping military service: "They were often not replaced for a long time, and some of the soldiers were forced to return to solve some of their family problems," says the commander. He added that there are cases when soldiers who need medical attention are registered as deserters if they do not return to their military unit after two days.
According to the commander, most of the returning deserters perform their tasks conscientiously if they are treated normally. "Most of them have already served in different places and are better trained than those who are now entering the army for the first time. They are also more motivated, so it is easier to work with them," he said.
Fatigue dominates
"The crimes committed are part of the Criminal Code, but that doesn't mean they are bad soldiers," stressed Roman Khorodetsky, who is responsible for psychological support for the soldiers. His unit is also deployed on the front line near Pokrovsk. Khorodetsky says that about 30% of the deserted soldiers have already returned. He believes that the amnesty granted is a good solution, but it cannot eliminate the causes of the entire problem. And the big problem is war fatigue - the physical and mental exhaustion of the soldiers. However, this problem simply cannot be solved at the moment," said Khorodetsky.
The 42-year-old soldier nicknamed Milka is also among those who have returned to the army. He refuses to explain why he deserted. He says it happened not on the front line, but in the rear, where he was sent after being wounded.
"Why did I come back? How can I explain it? War is like a drug. When you've been to war, it pulls you back", says Milka. He shares that the time at home has done him good, he has recharged himself with new energy and is not thinking about another leave, but still says: "I feel like taking off my military uniform, dousing it with gasoline and burning it to the ground, and then putting on civilian clothes, holding my children by the hand and going for a walk with them. That's what I dream about."