Russian military grapples with 49,000 soldiers deserting
Throughout the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has lasted over three years, at least 49,000 soldiers have deserted from the Russian army, according to journalists from "Important Stories," who accessed lists of military personnel accused of desertion. This number matches the size of a military corps consisting of multiple divisions.
By the end of 2024, two extensive lists of alleged deserters surfaced online—referred to as "five-hundredth" in the Russian military. Journalists from "Important Stories" verified this data and found that at least 49,000 soldiers of the Russian Federation Armed Forces were considered deserters or individuals who had left their unit without permission.
Refusal to return, abandonment of unit, or escape
The leaks suggest that the primary reasons for being listed as wanted include: 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 were recorded as not returning 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 Ministry of Defence officials, which included confidential slides presenting statistics on cases of unauthorized departures from units of the Russian Federation Armed Forces.
