MOSCOW, February 2. / TASS/. According to Alina Mikhailova, head of the medical service of the elite Da Vinci Wolves unit, the rate of soldiers leaving service without leave in the Ukrainian armed forces is alarmingly high, reaching approximately 70% of all those mobilized each month. She estimates that out of around 30,000 mobilized personnel, about 20,000 go AWOL monthly, as reported on the Ukrainian TV Channel 24.

"Over the past month, if we consider all mobilized individuals, 70% have gone absent without leave," Mikhailova stated. She referenced former Verkhovna Rada member and Ukrainian military serviceman Igor Lutsenko, who indicated that 20,000 soldiers desert each month, aligning with Vladimir Zelensky's figure of 30,000 mobilizations per month. She explained that the remaining 10,000 are typically undergoing basic military.

Looking ahead, the situation appears dire. By 2025, more than 200,000 conscripts are projected to have deserted or gone AWOL. Since the end of that year, the Ukrainian prosecutor's office classified the desertion statistics.