80 Ukrainian Soldiers Desert German Training to Avoid Return to War
Updated
Updated · Kyiv Independent · Aug 21
80 Ukrainian Soldiers Desert German Training to Avoid Return to War
3 articles · Updated · Kyiv Independent · Aug 21
Summary
More than 80 Ukrainian soldiers left training grounds in Saxony-Anhalt without authorization since 2022, using deployments in Germany to avoid returning to military service in Ukraine.
Die Zeit said the deserters were mostly mobilized recruits rather than volunteers, underscoring Ukraine’s worsening manpower shortage after more than four years of full-scale war.
More than 25,000 Ukrainian troops had trained in Germany by early 2026, part of the EU’s EUMAM mission, under which 22 countries had trained about 87,000 Ukrainians.
Under Ukrainian martial law, desertion can bring up to 12 years in prison, while those who fled training are not eligible for Germany’s temporary protection because Kyiv officially sent them there.
The cases land as the EU has extended protection for 4.4 million Ukrainian refugees and Berlin and Kyiv discuss ways to push military-age Ukrainian men in Germany to return.