Soldiers of Russia's Southern Military District, whose units are deployed in Ukraine, are deserting their posts in increasing numbers, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) said on April 29.
According to many observers, low morale has been a recurring problem for the Russian Armed Forces fighting in Ukraine.
Military intelligence said that in total, over 18,000 soldiers of the Southern Military District have abandoned their posts, with around 12,000 of them belonging to the 8th Combined Arms Army – a unit often deployed in hostilities in eastern Ukraine.
Of this number, around 10,000 are mobilized conscripts and 2,000 contract soldiers, the military intelligence agency said.
In the Russian 58th Combined Arms Army, the desertion rate is at around 2,500 troops, according to the agency's statement.
The military intelligence agency did not specify the circumstances of the purported desertions.
The U.K. Defense Ministry said earlier in April that Russian troops in Ukraine are mainly staffed with contract soldiers and reservists mobilized in late 2022, but conscripts are often pressured to sign contracts.
President Volodymyr Zelensky previously said that Moscow is preparing to mobilize 300,000 soldiers by June.
Kyiv has been actively encouraging troops of the Russian invading army to desert or even defect to the Ukrainian side. The Ukrainian military intelligence service launched a hotline in September 2022 to help Russian soldiers willing to surrender.
Nate Ostiller
