In Past 9 Months, Over 25,000 Russian Soldiers Have Deserted Ukraine Front Units

As a result of the increased casualties Russian forces are suffering in Ukraine, desertions from units in the Kremlin's Central Military District have exceeded 25,000 in nine months.

This number is contributing to the Russians' inability to mass enough troops to execute offensive operations and is another factor giving Ukraine the ability to counterattack successfully at numerous locations along the front. JL

Espreso Global reports:

In the nine months November 2024 to July 2025, over 25,000 soldiers of the Central Military District of the Russian Federation have deserted their units. The desertions occur in various ways: some leave their positions directly on the battlefield, others disappear from their deployment points, and some soldiers do not return from medical treatment or leave. The main reasons for desertion are harsh service conditions: widespread "dedovshchina" (hazing), a catastrophic lack of supplies, and mass deployments to so-called "meat assaults."

In the nine months from November 2024 to July 2025, over 25,000 soldiers of the Central Military District of the Russian Federation have deserted their units

Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate reported the information.

The desertions occur in various ways: some leave their positions directly on the battlefield, others disappear from their permanent deployment points, and some soldiers do not return from medical treatment or leave.

In more than 30 cases between 2024 and 2025, deserters took weapons and military equipment with them.

The main reasons for desertion are harsh service conditions: widespread "dedovshchina" (hazing), a catastrophic lack of supplies, and mass deployments to so-called "meat assaults."

Furthermore, internal reports from the occupying forces record cases of death for "failure to obey an order." Over the past year, more than 30 such cases have been recorded, indicating the systematic use of executions against soldiers who refuse to carry out the Kremlin's orders.

• The former mayor of Kherson, Volodymyr Mykolaienko, who spent more than three years in Russian captivity, said that the Russians believed that only so-called 'fascists' were preventing people from exercising their will. They were convinced, as they said, that the Ukrainian Armed Forces is a terrorist organization that holds entire cities hostage.