2 million Ukrainians evading mobilization, another 200,000 soldiers AWOL, new defense minister says

Two million Ukrainians are wanted for evading mobilization, and another 200,000 soldiers are absent without official leave (AWOL), Ukraine's new Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on Jan. 14.

Speaking in parliament where he was appointed to his new role, Fedorov stressed the importance of addressing the current problems in the army so Ukraine can start moving forward, such as conducting an analysis of commanders' effectiveness rather than making decisions based on their ranks.

"Today, we cannot fight with new technologies, with an old organizational structure," Fedorov said in an address aired on television.

"Our goal is to change the system, carry out army reforms, improve the infrastructure on the front, to eradicate lies and corruption, to instil leadership, and a new culture of trust."

The rare report on the number of Ukrainians evading mobilization or soldiers who have gone AWOL comes as Ukraine faces a critical manpower shortage, with infantry units especially struggling more than ever to refill the heavy losses.

Exhausted from fighting for nearly four years of full-scale war with barely any breaks, many soldiers have opted to go AWOL or desert, which are criminal offenses punishable by imprisonment of five to 12 years during wartime.

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Panic attacks have haunted Ukrainian serviceman Yaroslav since he returned home in the summer, leaving him gasping at night. Frustration with his commanders drove the 33-year-old to go absent without leave (AWOL), joining a growing number of Ukrainian soldiers who have left their units without permission. For Yaroslav, then a deputy platoon commander, it began with what he described as his leadership’s “indifference” to soldiers’ lives. Yaroslav said his command kept ordering missions that, in

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Deliberately evading mobilization is also in the Criminal Code of Ukraine, punishable by imprisonment of three to five years in wartime. Many also used going AWOL as a common, albeit illegal, shortcut to transfer between units to avoid a lengthy bureaucratic process, though this practice has recently been clamped down on.

Fedorov stressed that there are "a large number" of problems that need to be addressed immediately, including the army's paper bureaucracy, which poses issues for many soldiers and commanders, and its Soviet-minded top-down way of commanding troops, as well as the supply of necessary resources, including weapons, to combat units.

"This prevents soldiers on the front line from working at their maximum," Fedorov said.

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