MOSCOW, October 10. /TASS/. Desertion and AWOL (Absent Without Leave) cases in the Ukrainian army reached 156,360 in the first nine months of this year, according to the country’s investigation bureau data obtained by TASS.

AWOL cases (a more lenient article in Ukraine’s Criminal Code that can exempt offenders from criminal punishment under certain circumstances and return them to duty) reached 137,481, while desertions totaled 18,879 in the reporting period. The bureau’s data indicates that only about 31,500 of them voluntarily returned to the Ukrainian army.

Desertion and AWOL cases average 17,000-18,000 per month in the Ukrainian army. When excluding casualties, this roughly balances the monthly inflow of mobilized soldiers, which totals about 20,000 and does not exceed 30,000.