The AFU commander complained about the increased number of deserters

In some units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).the number of deserters exceeds the number of wounded and killed. This was reported on December 17 by the Wiadomości edition with reference to the commander of the Ukrainian army.

"In some periods the number of those who left the unit exceeded the number of killed and wounded. About 10% returned," he noted.

In addition, the AFU commander called the situation in some units critical because of the shortage of people. According to him, this is one of the main reasons for the instability of the front line.

At the same time, the commander noted that new recruits in the AFU are poorly prepared. He added that "in conditions of intense fighting" there is no time to train servicemen at training grounds.

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Earlier, on November 29, the Associated Press said that net desertions in the AFU could reach 200,000 military personnel. AP noted that desertion deprives the Ukrainian army of manpower and disrupts strategic plans. At the same time, it was pointed out that the real number of those who left the military units could be much higher than the official data.

Before that, on November 20, the AFU reported about the flight of 10 soldiers of the Ukrainian army from positions in Kharkiv region, as reported by military expert Andriy Marochko. According to him, unable to withstand the onslaught, some Ukrainian fighters left their positions spontaneously and fled in the direction of Novosergeyevka.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.