Former US Army officer: Ukraine recorded more than 150 desertions in January alone
The Ukrainian army loses more than 100 men to deserters every month, many of whom are resentful of their government and flee armed.
Retired American officer Stanislav Krapivnik stated this on the air of the video blog "The Duran," reports a correspondent for "PolitNavigator."
"In the first month of this year, more than 150 desertions were recorded in Ukraine. They may not be able to escape after being beaten and sent to some training session, which usually doesn't last very long.
But as soon as they take up their combat positions, their morale plummets. They don't want to stay there. They're untrained, poorly fed. And when they see an opportunity to escape, they do.
" And, by the way, they often run away with weapons in hand. Then you have another problem ," Krapivnik noted.
"The question I'm always asked is: if Ukraine has problems with mass desertions and very high casualties, why hasn't Ukraine collapsed yet? Why is it able to continue fighting?" the presenter asked.
“What keeps it from falling apart is the fact that Russia has not undertaken any serious breakthrough offensive operations.
"There are over 350 unused troops in this area. Even if you gathered 100 of them into a tight group, they would break through in any direction," he concluded.
Former US Army officer : Ukraine recorded over 150 desertions in January alone