Defection and low morale are a huge problem for the Ukrainian army at this moment, reports the American television CNN, which spoke to Ukrainian commanders and officers, who wished to remain anonymous.
At the start of full-scale Russian aggression, many Ukrainians volunteered to join the army to defend their country. Now, however, the motivation of the newly mobilized is lower, because they were called into the army under compulsion.
Defection and insubordination are becoming a widespread problem, especially among newly recruited soldiers, the Ukrainian military told television. The situation is particularly dire among infantry units near Pokrovsk and elsewhere along the eastern front line, where Ukraine is struggling to stop Russia's advance.
„Not all mobilized soldiers leave their positions, but the majority do. When new guys come in, they see how hard it is. "They see a lot of enemy drones, artillery and mortars," said the commander of a military unit fighting in Pokrovsk.
„They either leave their positions, refuse to go into battle, or try to find a way to leave the army,” he added. Ukraine went through an extremely difficult period last winter and spring. Months of delays in getting US military aid into the country led to critical ammunition shortages and a major drop in morale.
As the situation on the battlefield worsens, more and more troops begin to desert. In the first four months of 2024 alone, prosecutors opened criminal proceedings against almost 19,000 soldiers who had deserted, according to the Ukrainian parliament. More than one million Ukrainians serve in the country's defense and security forces, though that includes those working in offices far from the front line.
However, the actual number of deserters is much higher. Many officers will not report desertions and unauthorized absences, hoping instead to persuade soldiers to return voluntarily without facing punishment. This approach has become so common that Ukraine changed the law to decriminalize desertion and absence without permission if it is committed for the first time.
Pokrovsk has become the epicenter of the battle for the eastern part of Ukraine. Russian forces have been closing in on the city for months, but their progress has accelerated in recent weeks as Ukrainian defenses begin to crumble.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that his goal is to gain control of all of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and capturing Pokrovsk, an important military and supply hub, would be an important step toward that goal.
Ukrainian soldiers in the area paint a gloomy picture of the situation. Kiev's forces are clearly outnumbered, with some commanders estimating that there are 10 Russian soldiers for every Ukrainian. But they also seem to be struggling with problems of their own making. An officer from a brigade fighting in Pokrovsk, who asked not to be named for security reasons, told CNN that poor communication between different units is a major problem there.
ZSU Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Sirski acknowledged that low morale was still a problem and said his promotion was a “very important part” from his work. “The Kursk operation...significantly improved the morale not only of the military, but also of the entire Ukrainian population,”, he said.