Over 50 Soldiers Deserted While Training in France
90,000 Desertions Since the Outbreak... Ongoing Escapes
On the 20th of last month (local time), Ukrainian soldiers engaged in combat in the Donetsk region of Ukraine are setting up a mortar. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News Agency
As the scale of mass desertions among Ukrainian soldiers gradually increases, including more than 50 soldiers training in France deserting en masse, authorities are deeply concerned. In Ukraine itself, where the war has entered its third year, it was reported that over 60,000 soldiers deserted last year alone. Unlike Russia, which is deploying North Korean troops to major battlefields, Ukraine has no replacement forces, raising concerns about declining military morale.
Ukrainian Ground Forces Commander Confirms Desertions Among Soldiers Training in France
On the 6th (local time), Mykhailo Drapaty, Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, held a press conference in the frontline area. Commander Drapaty stated at the press conference that he confirmed the desertion of soldiers who were training in France. Photo by AFP and Yonhap News
Mykhailo Drapaty, commander of the Ukrainian Army, stated at a press conference held in the operational area on the 6th (local time), "We are aware of problems within the 155th Mechanized Brigade training in France. There were issues with personnel deployment, training, and command structure," adding, "All problems have been recognized and analyzed, and a definite conclusion has been reached." This was an official acknowledgment of foreign media reports that over 50 soldiers from the unit trained in France had deserted.
The 155th Mechanized Brigade was the first Ukrainian unit to receive overseas training after the outbreak of the war. It has been regarded as a symbol of the modernization of the Ukrainian military through guidance and training programs provided by the French military. In October last year, French President Emmanuel Macron personally visited the unit's training site to offer encouragement.
However, the increasing scale of desertions among the unit's soldiers has sparked controversy. Last month, Yuri Butusov, a well-known Ukrainian military blogger, claimed, "Out of 2,300 soldiers in this unit, 1,700 who returned to Ukraine deserted without fighting in combat, and 50 soldiers fled during training in France," adding, "The soldiers assigned to the unit were not volunteers but were forcibly conscripted."
Commander Drapaty responded to these claims by saying, "While many of the facts presented by Butusov did occur, the scale is not as large as reported," emphasizing, "The causes of mass desertions include soldiers' fear, lack of combat experience, and poor command structure, and we will prove that the training in France was not in vain."
On the 6th (local time), Ukrainian Orthodox military chaplains sprinkled holy water on soldiers before they were deployed to combat. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News Agency
The scale of deserters in Ukraine is known to be much larger. According to The New York Times (NYT), the Ukrainian prosecutor's office indicted about 60,000 deserters from January to October last year. This number is double the 30,000 indicted over two years from the outbreak of the war in 2022 through 2023. This is attributed to extreme war fatigue as the conflict enters its third year and increasing fear among soldiers deployed to the front lines.
Since the outbreak in February 2022, Ukraine has partially amended its conscription law to mandate compulsory military service for all men aged 25 to 60 and has prohibited men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. As a result, it maintains a force of about one million troops, rotating approximately 300,000 soldiers to the front lines. However, despite desertion punishable by up to 12 years in prison, large-scale desertions continue across various fronts. In response to the surge in desertions, the Ukrainian parliament and government have announced that soldiers who desert but return to their units will be exempt from prosecution.
In October last year, hundreds of soldiers from the 123rd Brigade stationed in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut deserted en masse. They reportedly disobeyed orders and returned home individually, judging that they could not defend the area due to a lack of personnel, weapons, and training.
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