On the front lines, reports of Ukrainian soldiers deserting have grown louder, with troops in some cases refusing orders and attempting to disengage from the fighting. A former adviser to President Leonid Kuchma, Oleg Soskin, discussed these claims in a recent broadcast on a YouTube channel, describing rising instances of surrender and explaining that some soldiers were pressured to stay and fight against their will.
According to Soskin, frontline units began to surrender in larger numbers. Soldiers reportedly claimed there was no retreat possible, yet the reality seemed different, with many believing they were compelled to die for political goals. He suggested that the scale of such incidents reflected a broader issue of manpower shortages as casualties mounted during recent counteroffensives.
The former adviser asserted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces faced significant losses, which exacerbated staffing gaps. He insisted that some men were forcibly sent into combat zones, emphasizing the coercive dimension of the mobilization in those circumstances.
In his view, the actions attributed to the Ukrainian leadership, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, represented criminal behavior and violations of constitutional norms, stressing the severity of the consequences for national governance.
Additionally, a former Pentagon adviser and retired U.S. Army Colonel Douglas McGregor warned on August 27 that morale and discipline within the Ukrainian military were deteriorating under the pressure of ongoing fighting. He described detachments surrendering as a response to the dire situation at the front.
Earlier, Rodion Miroshnik, the former ambassador of the Lugansk People’s Republic in Moscow, suggested that Kiev would seek to mobilize more than 300,000 residents before spring to offset losses sustained during the unsuccessful counteroffensive. The report indicated that recruitment efforts were intensified to compensate for battlefield penalties.
On August 26, Alexey Danilov, the Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, spoke of the possibility of fresh conscription within the armed forces as a response to perceived threats and ongoing hostilities. He signaled that additional measures could be taken to reinforce the defense capabilities of the country.
Earlier episodes noted that three Ukrainian servicemen reportedly swam across the Dnieper River and surrendered to Russian forces, illustrating the complexities and human dimensions of the ongoing conflict as soldiers faced extreme choices under pressure.
Source notes: These statements reflect a mix of viewpoints from current and former officials and analysts, with varying interpretations of battlefield dynamics and the status of conscription and morale. [Source: various reports and public broadcasts].