MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. More soldiers are deserting from the Ukrainian army than it loses on the battlefield, Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza said, citing an unnamed Ukrainian officer.

"In some periods, the number of AWOL (absent without leave) cases in units exceeded that of those killed and wounded," he was quoted as saying. According to the officer, only 10% of these people return to their units. He explained that this situation could be attributed to the poor training provided to mobilized soldiers who are deployed to the combat engagement line.

On October 29, the head of Ukraine's Supreme Court, Stanislav Kravchenko, said that there had been a significant upsurge in desertions and disobedience. He described the situation as alarming.

According to Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) lawmaker Anna Skorokhod, the number of AWOL cases in the Ukrainian army exceeds 100,000. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s media put this number at 170,000 as of late October. In late November, Vladimir Zelensky signed a law allowing anyone who deserted or arbitrarily left their positions for the first time to voluntarily return to service. The law stipulates that during martial law, these soldiers, if they return voluntarily, can continue their service under a new contract.