About 80 Ukrainian servicemen have deserted during their stay at military training grounds in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt since 2022, and for the entire country their number probably reaches hundreds. The data was revealed by the German publication Die Zeit, according to which soldiers sent for training voluntarily leave the bases to avoid returning to the front in Ukraine, Focus writes.
Most of the deserters, according to Die Zeit, were mobilized soldiers, not volunteers.
Germany is training Ukrainian soldiers as part of the EU Military Assistance Mission to Ukraine (EUMAM UA), which launched in 2022. The training covers weapons handling, the use of military equipment, camouflage, tactical training and first aid.
According to the Bundeswehr, by the beginning of 2026, over 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been trained in Germany. A total of 22 European countries have trained around 87,000 Ukrainian soldiers as part of the mission. The majority of those who left were conscripted citizens, not volunteers, many of whom took advantage of their time at the Altengrabov military training ground.
For Ukrainian soldiers who leave their service with the intention of avoiding further service, the consequences can be serious. According to Ukrainian law, desertion during martial law can be punished by up to 12 years in prison.
At the same time, soldiers who remain in Germany after the exercises cannot take advantage of paragraph 24 of the German residence law and receive refugee status, since they are officially residing in the country at the direction of the Ukrainian authorities.
The situation arose against the backdrop of an acute problem with personnel in the Ukrainian army. After more than four years of full-scale war, the number of volunteers is dwindling and Ukraine is increasingly relying on mobilization.
At the same time, Germany and other EU countries have tightened rules for newly arrived Ukrainian men of military age.
In July, the European Union agreed to extend temporary protection for 4.4 million Ukrainian refugees for another year. In parallel, Kiev and Berlin are discussing options to incentivize and potentially pressure Ukrainian men in Germany to return to Ukraine.