On February 2, TASS news agency quoted sources from Ukrainian media as saying that the country's army is facing a serious "human resource leakage" crisis from within.
Ms. Alina Mikhailova, head of the medical services of the "Da Vinci Wolf" unit (an elite unit of the Ukrainian armed forces), announced shocking figures related to the number of Ukrainian soldiers deserting.
According to Ms. Mikhailova, the situation of soldiers voluntarily leaving their units without permission is rampant. "Looking at the overall picture last month, up to 70% of those mobilized have voluntarily left their ranks," she affirmed.
The military medical official said that on average, Ukraine mobilizes about 30,000 new recruits each month. However, the harsh reality is that up to 20,000 of them are trying to escape or leave their units illegally.
This figure coincides with information provided by Mr. Igor Lutsenko, a former Ukrainian MP and currently a soldier, earlier. Mr. Lutsenko said that 30,000 troops are mobilized each month - something that President Volodymyr Zelensky often mentions.
With 20,000 people leaving the ranks, the Ukrainian army in fact only retains about 10,000 new soldiers each month. This small number is undergoing basic training and cannot compensate for the great losses on the battlefield.
The situation is forecast to be extremely bleak. By the end of 2025, it is estimated that there have been more than 200,000 cases of conscripts deserting or absent without permission.
This number is equivalent to the number of troops of many corps combined, directly affecting Kiev's ability to maintain combat strength in the prolonged conflict.
Observers believe that the high desertion rate reflects fatigue and serious mental decline in the ranks of Ukrainian soldiers.
To cope with this situation, since the end of 2025, the Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office has decided to keep secret the statistics on demobilization.
Concealing information shows that the seriousness of the problem may be much greater than what has been publicized, posing a vital challenge to Kiev's military apparatus.
