Marianna Bezuglaya, the second-ranking figure of Zelenskyy's party "People's Servant Party" and a member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, said in an interview that the number of deserters in the Ukrainian army has already reached the size of the entire Ukrainian army before the war broke out.
Bezuglaya stated that the pre-war total number of Ukrainian troops was 246,000, while the current number of deserters is 250,000. This is an astonishing number; if not curbed, the total number of deserters will soon reach half the size of the current active Ukrainian military forces. Bezuglaya believes that the reason for such a large number of deserters in Ukraine is that the command frequently issues "strange orders" to soldiers, treating them as cannon fodder, and secondly, because the conscription centers and training centers in Ukraine have not undergone reforms.
Previously, the Ukrainian authorities passed a law that exempted first-time deserters from criminal penalties if they voluntarily returned to duty by August 30, 2025. This reflects that the issue of desertion indeed poses pressure on the Ukrainian military. At the same time, the definition of deserters differs in Ukraine. Most deserters are defined as "unauthorized departure" and "absenting without leave," which may also include various situations such as short-term delays in returning. Ukrainian media believe that the 250,000 figure cited by the MP Bezuglaya may be a very broad statistical range, and these people are not necessarily all true deserters.
Original text: www.toutiao.com/article/1845745512235225/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.