In Ukraine, more and more exhausted soldiers abandon their posts

A Ukrainian serviceman wipes a mirror at an outdoor washbasin near the Kharkiv region in November. | REUTERS

by ALIAKSANDR KUDRYTSKI AND VOLODYMYR VERBIANYI
December 7, 2024

On the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Roman Solomonyuk shocked his family when he volunteered to fight. But over two-and-a-half years later, he’s joined the growing number of Ukrainian soldiers who’ve called it quits.

First the 45-year-old dug trenches near the Russian border. Later, he shot down deadly Shahed drones. But then Roman fell out with a heavy-handed officer — and he’s now officially wanted for leaving his unit without permission.

Since 2022, Ukraine opened nearly 96,000 criminal cases against servicemen who abandoned their positions since Russia’s invasion, according to data from the prosecutor general’s office. That represents a sixfold increase over the past two years, and most of the cases were opened this year.