On Wednesday, as every day, the British Ministry of Defense provided another intelligence update. This time, information was provided there desertions among Russian soldiers.
Citing the independent Russian website Mediazona, it was reported that in March 2024 Russian military courts sentenced a record 684 members of the armed forces for desertion. In total, since partial mobilization began in September 2022 7,400 cases of this type were recorded, most of which took place in the Moscow region – 496.
War in Ukraine. Record level of desertions by Russian military
As indicated, many of the soldiers who were captured and brought to trial received suspended sentences. They then returned to their units and to the front line.
The number is also record-breaking asylum applications submitted by citizens Russia avoiding military service in Western countries.
The British Ministry of Defense also noted that Russian soldiers, including those who were forcibly recruited during partial mobilization in September 2022, are obliged to remain in military service indefinitely with little prospect of release.
More casualties among Russian soldiers. An increase compared to the first year of the war
Meanwhile, as the BBC pointed out last week, on the Russian side, there are more and more victims among soldiers. According to information collected together with the independent Russian website Mediazona and volunteers, since Russia started the war in February 2022, 50 thousand military.
Over the last 12 months, the number of victims on the Russian side has increased by almost 25%. higher compared to the first year of the war. In the second year of fighting, over 27,300 people were killed. soldiers.
The Kremlin itself published the last statistics in September 2022 then the number was eight times lower. The BBC also notes that the deaths in the Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine have not been added to the total number.
According to estimates, at least two out of five Russian soldiers killed were people who had nothing to do with the military before the invasion began. Many of the Russians were also killed mercenaries of the Wagner group, including convicts recruited from prisons, the BBC reported.