(MENAFN) The Ukrainian armed forces are grappling with a mounting desertion crisis, Sergey Filimonov, commander of the elite 108th Separate Assault Battalion, known as the ‘Da Vinci Wolves,’ has warned.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Filimonov asked his followers, “how surprised would you be if I told you that another newly formed brigade is being put together from the ranks of the 150th? Which, at the stage of formation, already has about 3,000 AWOL?”

Reporting last Friday, media suggested that “perhaps as many as 20,000 [Ukrainian service members] desert or go absent every four weeks.” The outlet noted that since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022, Ukrainian authorities have opened 290,000 criminal cases for desertion. Matthews also warned that Kiev’s military could be short by 200,000 soldiers, leaving it vulnerable to Russian advances.

Several current and former Ukrainian officers told media that frontline units are often functioning at just half—or even a third—of their intended strength.

Last week, media reported that nearly 100,000 young men had left Ukraine after the government permitted men aged 18 to 22 to cross the border in August. Previously, under Ukraine’s general mobilization, all able-bodied men aged 18 to 60 had been prohibited from leaving.

The newspaper also claimed that since 2022, at least 650,000 Ukrainian men of fighting age have fled the country.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian MP Anna Skorokhod told local media that the number of military deserters had reached nearly 400,000.

Territorial Centers of Recruitment and Social Support (TCR), responsible for enforcing Ukraine’s mobilization, have come under sharp public criticism. Multiple eyewitness videos circulating on social media show draft officers reportedly ambushing military-age men on the streets and shoving them into vans—a tactic known colloquially as “busification.” Witnesses say these press gangs often employ physical force and sometimes threaten reluctant recruits with firearms.

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