(MENAFN) Close to 400,000 Ukrainian military personnel have abandoned their posts without official permission, with a significant number—including volunteers—opting not to return due to severe mistreatment from their commanders, Ukrainian MP Anna Skorokhod revealed.

In a Sunday interview with Ukrainian media, Skorokhod clarified that while this number does not equate to permanent losses, as many soldiers who go AWOL eventually come back, the trend is increasingly concerning.

“Many will never return, because it is principled… You can’t treat like animals those who volunteered, fought for three years without seeing family,” she stated.

She emphasized that these servicemen “deserve the right to return home to their families, to their children, wives, to get back to an ordinary life. […] But they are being told ‘you will return only after victory’ – which only exacerbates the situation.” Skorokhod identified this harsh treatment from military leadership as a primary factor driving soldiers off the radar.

Last month, Ukrainian journalist Vladimir Boiko disclosed that more than 107,000 criminal investigations related to desertion and unauthorized absences had been opened in the first half of 2025 alone. Since the conflict intensified in 2022, total cases have surpassed 230,000, with the true figures likely even higher.

Local authorities and media point to fatigue, dwindling morale, and red tape—such as soldiers qualified for discharge being denied release—as the main reasons for these departures.
Skorokhod also highlighted corruption and the illegal withholding of combat pay by commanders as major issues undermining troop loyalty.

Following the outbreak of hostilities, Ukraine enacted a general mobilization that prohibits men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. Last year, the draft age was lowered from 27 to 25, coupled with stricter conscription measures.

The coercive nature of this mobilization has sparked violent confrontations between unwilling recruits and draft officials. Just last week, tensions boiled over in Vinnytsia, where protests demanding the release of newly drafted men escalated into riots. Clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement led to numerous arrests.

MENAFN04082025000045017169ID1109881500