In the three-year-old Russia-Ukraine war, one of the most significant issues facing Kyiv is a shortage of manpower. In a battle of attrition, the manpower and quantity of equipment are the biggest strengths of a military force.
Ukraine has been able to somewhat compensate for its lack of equipment with Western supplies. However, the lack of manpower has consistently hindered Kyiv’s ability to defend itself against the Russian onslaught.
Before the war began, Russia’s population was already nearly 3.7 times bigger than Ukraine’s. However, since the war started, a significant part of Ukraine, along with its population, has merged with Russia. Additionally, millions of Ukrainians have fled to European countries to escape the war.
Ukraine has demonstrated considerable ingenuity in repelling the Russian invasion; however, its limited manpower means that Kyiv is consistently at a disadvantage against Moscow.
In addition to this handicap, Ukraine now faces a new concern—the rising number of desertions from the frontline.
Ukraine’s Rising Desertions From The Frontline
According to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office, since the war began in 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have witnessed more than 250,000 desertions. These numbers include both AWOLs (absences without official leave) and desertions from the front line.
More than 250,000 criminal cases have been opened into soldiers’ absence without leave (AWOL) and desertion since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing the Prosecutor General’s Office.
The official data was provided under the “Unified Report on Criminal Offenses” under Article 407 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Unauthorized abandonment of a military unit or place of service).
As many as 202,997 criminal cases were opened into unauthorized abandonment of military units, also known as absence without leave, from 2022 to July 2025. A total of 15,564 people were officially charged with the crime.
The Prosecutor General’s Office also said that 50,058 desertion cases were opened in the same period, and 1,248 individuals were charged with desertion.
Under Ukraine’s martial law, men aged 25 to 60 can be conscripted into the armed forces.
Some 250,000 desertions in more than three years may not seem like a large number. However, as the saying goes, ‘Devil is in the Detail,’ these numbers hide a brutal truth, which is that the number of desertions in the Ukrainian Army is rising continuously, and that also at an alarming pace.
For instance, there were nearly 7,000 AWOL cases in 2022, 17,658 in 2023, 67,840 in 2024, and 105,500 from January to July 2025.
Similarly, for desertion, there were approximately 3,400 cases in 2022, 7,900 in 2023, 23,300 in 2024, and 15,400 from January to July 2025.
Together, the Ukrainian Army witnessed nearly 10,400 desertions (including AWOL and desertions) in 2022, 25,558 desertions in 2023, 91,140 desertions in 2024, and 120,900 desertions in the first seven months of 2025.
This means that in 2022, nearly 29 soldiers deserted the Ukrainian Army every day. In 2023, the number of desertions per day increased to almost 70 soldiers. In 2024, the number further increased to 250 soldiers per day, and in the first seven months of 2025, it had risen to nearly 576 soldiers per day.
This clearly shows that as the war is stretching, the number of desertions in the Ukrainian Army is increasing at an alarming pace. This could suggest that war fatigue is setting in among Ukrainian soldiers.
However, whatever the cause may be, this is a worrying sign for Ukraine, which is already struggling to recruit sufficient soldiers to deploy at its nearly 1200 km (750 miles) long frontline with Russia.
Desertions In The Russian Army
The Russian Army has also witnessed desertions and AWOL cases. In June this year, the UK Defense Ministry reported that since the war began, the Russian military has reported 20,538 cases of service personnel going AWOL, deserting, or refusing to carry out orders.
“Most of the cases, which cover the period from February 2022 to the end of May 2025, relate to absence without leave, which in Russia is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. More than 86.2% of the cases have been prosecuted,” the UK Defense Ministry reported, citing data released by the Russian media outlet Mediazona.
Why Desertions Are Much Higher In Ukraine?
The data cited above clearly indicate that the Ukrainian Army is experiencing significantly higher desertion rates than the Russian Army.
While Ukraine suffered over 250,000 desertions since the war began, Russia, as per reports, witnessed only 20,538 desertions during the same period. Without doubt, both these figures could be a serious underestimation, as both countries have a history of hiding and minimizing battlefield losses.
Recently, Ukrainian Deputy Anna Skorokhod stated that the number of soldiers leaving their positions without authorization had already reached around 400,000. This number could be even higher.
It is pretty evident that Kyiv is witnessing many more desertions (12 times more than the Russian Army), even though Ukraine is defending its homeland. The question is, why this huge disparity?
This is not due to a lack of courage, discipline, or morale among Ukrainian soldiers, but rather the sheer logic of available numbers.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russia has fielded nearly 650,000 soldiers in Ukraine. In comparison, Ukraine can only muster 200,000 to 300,000 soldiers for manning the frontline.
This huge disparity in available manpower resources means that while Russia can regularly rotate its frontline soldiers to prevent exhaustion, maintain morale, and sustain combat effectiveness, Ukraine does not have this luxury due to the limited number of soldiers.
Russia’s larger manpower pool, bolstered by aggressive recruitment (including convicts, migrants, and volunteers), enables more structured and frequent rotations for its forces. In contrast, Ukraine’s severe manpower shortages have led to prolonged deployments, with soldiers often serving indefinitely without relief, exacerbating fatigue and casualties.
According to reports, Russian soldiers on average serve 3 to 6 months on the frontline before relief.
In May, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia is recruiting between 50,000 and 60,000 new soldiers each month. This vast pool of recruited soldiers enables Moscow to frequently rotate frontline troops, providing them with much-needed relief.
On the other hand, Ukraine is suffering from critical manpower shortages. These shortages, and the pressure they’re putting on frontline troops, are well documented.
In January this year, soldiers of the Ukrainian Air Force released a video detailing how they have been fighting and maintaining the Ukrainian Air Force since 2014, and how manpower shortages on the frontline are forcing air force technicians to be forcefully sent to the frontline, which can destroy the Ukrainian Air Force.
“Since 2014, we have been preparing and maintaining the aircraft, ensuring combat missions in the most difficult conditions, both day and night, defending our homeland from the enemy,” the speaker of the group – all wearing masks — says.
However, they have now received an order to send “almost all technicians to the infantry, which means we will be left without technical personnel to service our aircraft.”
Earlier this year, Lieutenant General Oleksandr Syrsky also admitted critical manpower shortages, which are forcing AFU to send maintenance staff to the frontline.
“Unfortunately, mobilization capabilities do not cover the need,” Syrsky said. “Therefore, we are taking measures to reduce our logistics component, the support component, and the component engaged in maintenance, within reasonable limits.”
Unfortunately, Ukraine has no quick fixes for its manpower shortages, which means that the AFU will likely continue to struggle with high desertion rates, even in the coming months, and the desertion rate could also increase as the war drags on.
