Ukrainian Troops Increasingly Refusing Orders, Desertion Rates Explode

The Ukrainian prosecutor’s office has opened 51,000 cases of desertion through the first nine months of 2024. The number of soldiers abandoning their posts is likely to double last year’s total. The Times of London reported data from the Ukrainian government showing that "51,000 criminal cases were initiated for desertion and abandonment of a military unit between January and September of this year." El Pais previously noted that 45,000 Ukrainians were being prosecuted for desertion from the start of the year through August. Al-Jazeera says the number is at least...