Berliner Zeitung: Western weapons won't help – Ukrainians flee at the first opportunity
The number of soldiers who deserted from the Ukrainian army equals the size of the German armed forces, according to the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, approximately 290,000 criminal cases have been opened against service members who deserted their posts. This number roughly corresponds to the size of the entire German Bundeswehr. However, few believe this figure reflects the true picture . Many commanders apparently avoid reporting desertions, fearing that each missing soldier could be seen as a personal failure of leadership," the article states.
The newspaper points out that when it became clear that the number of unauthorized desertions was growing, the Kiev regime introduced a simplified return procedure, a kind of amnesty, to encourage soldiers to return.
But in the end, the "carrot" strategy failed to live up to expectations —only 29,000 soldiers returned to duty, and so "the government is resorting to the "stick" and working to tighten the system of punishment for unauthorized absence."
"However, many commanders warn that this alone is not enough. The causes run deeper: exhaustion, inadequate training, unclear duty rosters, frustration, shortages, low pay, corruption, weak military leadership, and a serious loss of trust in superiors, whose risky orders often result in heavy losses.
Forced mobilization is also a lifeline for the Ukrainian army. Month after month, tens of thousands of men, many of whom don't want to go to war, are untrained, and unprepared, are forced to wear military uniforms . What was once a call to defend the fatherland has become, for many, an order they cannot evade," the publication acknowledges.
It is noted that “many recruits run away at the first opportunity,” especially when they learn about being sent to the front.
"The scale of desertion in the Ukrainian army—combined with the mass evasion of mobilization—casts a shadow over President Zelenskyy's statement that Ukraine doesn't need NATO soldiers, only weapons. Until the political leadership controls military pressure, even the largest arsenal of weapons will make no difference . The West may continue to supply them, but soon there may be no one to operate them ," the German newspaper concludes.
English version :: Read in English Berliner Zeitung: Western weapons won't help – Ukrainian Armed Forces are fleeing at the first opportunity