In the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians rushed to military recruitment centres to defend their country. Almost three years of war later, the momentum has stalled. Our correspondent Gulliver Cragg reports.
Whilst hundreds of thousands rushed to join the Ukrainian armed forces when Russia invaded in 2022, today, the picture is not so rosy.
Mobilisation is faltering, with many men having found ways – both legal and illegal – to exempt themselves, and others avoiding detection easily enough. Voluntary recruitment initiatives have shown some success but only in certain well-run brigades, and not enough to provide the numbers needed overall.
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Moreover, desertion or, more frequently absence without leave or going AWOL (which under Ukrainian law covers any unauthorised departure that does not happen in the heat of battle and/or where the soldier intends to return to the ranks), has become widespread: 95,000 cases since 2022, most of them occurring last year.
The high casualty rate and tough conditions of the war are certainly one factor in discouraging Ukrainian men from fighting. But many Ukrainians are convinced that with better command, organisation and the offer of a chance to leave the armed forces after a certain period of time, there is still scope to recruit the tens of thousands that are still needed to turn the tide against Russia.
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