Russian army faces 49,000 deserters amid ongoing Ukraine conflict
During the war in Ukraine, which has lasted over three years, at least 49,000 soldiers have deserted from the Russian army, as reported by journalists from "Important Stories," who accessed lists of military personnel accused of desertion. This number corresponds to the strength of a military corps made up of several divisions.
At the end of 2024, two extensive lists of alleged deserters appeared online—referred to as "five-hundredth" in the Russian military. Journalists from "Important Stories" verified this data and determined that at least 49,000 soldiers of the Russian Federation Armed Forces were considered deserters or individuals who have left their unit without permission.
Refusal to return, abandonment of unit, or escape
The leaks indicate that the main reasons for being listed as wanted are: abandoning a position at the front, fleeing from a military unit, and refusing to return to service after medical treatment.
"Mother won’t let her son go"
In some cases, detailed comments were provided in the databases: "mother won’t let her son go, believes he is not fully healed," "did not return after treatment, category D, torn heel; did not submit documents on time for removal from the unit list," "broke his leg in the morning before departure; did not return from treatment."
Nearly 500 soldiers were considered to have left the unit without permission after failing to return from leave. Example note: "Did not return from leave, citing a sick wife."
At least four military personnel—as recorded—did not return from escort missions of "Cargo 200" (which refers to the transport of fallen bodies). In one note, the reason for refusal to participate in the war was described as: "Fear for one's life, effects of negative informational-psychological impact of the opponent."
In some cases, criminal proceedings were initiated even after the soldier was transferred to another unit.
In early March, the Ukrainian project InformNapalm reported about 50,500 deserters from the Russian army in 2024. The channel cited stolen correspondence from Russian MOD officials, which included closed slides presenting statistics on cases of unauthorized departures from units of the Russian Federation Armed Forces.
