As of the end of April 2024, the number of deserters from the southern military district of the occupying Russian army reached 18 thousand people.
The desertion rate in the Russian army is increasing
According to intelligence data, the lion's share — about 12,000 fugitives — belongs to the 8th Combined Arms Army, which the enemy constantly engages in hostilities in eastern Ukraine.
Approximately 10,000 of them were drafted by Moscow through mobilisation. The remaining 2,000 are contract workers.
In the 58th combined army, which is also part of the southern district of the army of the aggressor state, the desertion rate is about 2,500 people, the report says.
More and more Russians do not want to fight against Ukraine
According to British intelligence, the desertion rate in the Russian army has become a record since the beginning of the war.
In March 2024, Russian military courts charged a record 684 people with desertion.
The total number of cases since the partial mobilization in September 2022 was 7,400; the most significant number — 496 — was recorded in the Moscow region.
Many soldiers who were found and appeared before the military court, having received suspended terms, returned to their units and to the front, — emphasises the Ministry of Defence of Great Britain.
