More Than 20.5K Cases of Russian Soldiers Going AWOL, Report Says

British intelligence, citing Russian media, posted on Monday that the number of criminal cases brought in Russia against its soldiers for going absent without leave (AWOL) have so far reached 20,538, including both those who have deserted and failed to carry out orders.

Russian media outlet Mediazona stated that most of the cases in that period, between February 2022 to the end of May 2025, were cases against of soldiers who went AWOL. (In Russia, that is punishable by up to 10 years in prison). More than 86 percent of the cases have been prosecuted, he media outlet wrote.

“There are a range of factors that can lead a soldier to desert,” the British intelligence report continued. “Brutal discipline in the Russian Armed Forces, poor medical treatment for injured soldiers and inadequate military training all likely contribute to Russian service personnel going AWOL.”

“This all runs counter to the official narrative that the Russian leadership values the military service of those who fight in Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. It is a realistic possibility that those prosecuted could commute their sentence by serving in the Russian Storm-Z convict assault units.”

Source: Kyiv Post