https://sputnikglobe.com/20260127/ukrainian-commanders-send-untrained-deserters-to-assault-units---prisoner-of-war-1123533882.html
A Ticket to Die: Ukrainian Commanders Send Deserters to Become Frontline Cannon Fodder
A Ticket to Die: Ukrainian Commanders Send Deserters to Become Frontline Cannon Fodder
Sputnik International
Ukrainian military commanders are sending untrained soldiers to assault units as a punishment for attempting to escape from training centers, Ukrainian prisoner of war Alexander Lugovskoy told Sputnik on Tuesday.
2026-01-27T12:21+0000
2026-01-27T12:21+0000
2026-01-27T12:52+0000
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"Conscripts who were caught [when trying to flee] were sent straight to assault units without completing basic training. There was one time when they did not run far and were caught immediately. There were two of them. I did not know them. They were loaded with 15 bulletproof vests, beaten, and kept under the constant supervision of an instructor. But those who ran further, after being caught later, were sent without training to assault units," Lugovskoy said. Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said in mid-January that two million eligible men were wanted for failing to comply with military registration. Subsequently, in November 2025, Roman Kostenko—secretary of the parliamentary committee for national security—stated that approximately 80% of those mobilized were deserting directly from training centers. He further estimated the total number of draft evaders in the millions, warning that the desertion rate would soon equal the army's total strength.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20260127/russia-continues-to-advance-in-all-directions-of-military-operation---general-staff-chief-1123532531.html
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ukraine, army, soldiers, training, deserters, commanders, assault units, prisoners of war
ukraine, army, soldiers, training, deserters, commanders, assault units, prisoners of war
A Ticket to Die: Ukrainian Commanders Send Deserters to Become Frontline Cannon Fodder
12:21 GMT 27.01.2026 (Updated: 12:52 GMT 27.01.2026) DONETSK (Sputnik) - Ukrainian military commanders are punishing conscripts caught fleeing mobilization by sending them without any training to frontline assault units, Ukrainian POW Alexander Lugovskoy told Sputnik on Tuesday.
"Conscripts who were caught [when trying to flee] were sent straight to assault units without completing basic training. There was one time when they did not run far and were caught immediately. There were two of them. I did not know them. They were loaded with 15 bulletproof vests, beaten, and kept under the constant supervision of an instructor. But those who ran further, after being caught later, were sent without training to assault units," Lugovskoy said.
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said in mid-January that two million eligible men were wanted for failing to comply with military registration. Subsequently, in November 2025, Roman Kostenko—secretary of the parliamentary committee for national security—stated that approximately 80% of those mobilized were deserting directly from training centers. He further estimated the total number of draft evaders in the millions, warning that the desertion rate would soon equal the army's total strength.
