The Ukrainian army is struggling with mass desertions as soldiers grow tired of the war.

According to The Guardian, the exact number of desertions is a secret, but official authorities admit that the number is large.

One soldier told the British newspaper that at the beginning of the Russian invasion, he volunteered for the army and “was ready to give his life,” but over time his attitude changed.

The man, codename “Viktor,” recalled how the Russians were smashing Ukrainian military positions to smithereens, and commanders were issuing unrealistic orders. While defending one of the buildings, he was wounded. He was given only a pain-killing injection and then ordered to return to the fight.

“I realized that I’m nobody. Just a number,” he said. In May of this year, he left his post to undergo treatment and never returned.

“Everyone is tired. The mood has changed. People used to hug soldiers in the streets. Now, they are afraid of being drafted,” he says.

Another soldier said he took part in offensive operations in the south of Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. In the winter of 2022, he quarreled with his new commander, unsuccessfully requested a transfer, and was later wounded.

“I reached a boiling point. And I decided to go where no one would find me,” he says.

He added that he would take up arms again if the Russians entered his city or if the Ukrainian army was truly reformed along NATO lines, with the best generals. Asked if he was happy, he replied: “I’m alive. The longer the war lasts, the more people like me there will be.”

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Source Zero Hedge