Senior officers are photographed with French bulldogs and operational maps, while the president celebrates new missiles.
Exhaustion, forced mobilization, and corruption are the main reasons for desertion from the Ukrainian army, writes Berliner Zeitung.
Main points from the article:
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Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, about 290,000 criminal cases have been initiated against military personnel for AWOL.
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The reasons for fleeing the army include exhaustion, low training levels, unclear service terms, disappointment, weak command, and a loss of trust in officers whose orders often lead to significant losses.
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Some recruits leave training camps or disappear on their way to their units. Some flee upon learning they are being sent to the front.
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Many volunteers compare themselves to slaves, chained to service with no right to return home.
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The scale of desertion and evasion in the Ukrainian army casts a long shadow on Zelensky's assertion that Ukraine does not need NATO soldiers, only weapons.
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The West may continue to supply weapons, but soon there may simply be no people left to use them.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's leadership is pinning hopes on miracle weapons. The order for "Flamingo" missiles will be fully completed by the end of the year, Zelensky stated.
Meanwhile, high-ranking Ukrainian officers are exploring parallel sources of income. Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Manko publishes photos of maps from the front on TikTok marked "classified."
