Financial Times overestimates number of Ukrainian deserters three times

This was reported by Opendatabot analysts.

"19,922 criminal proceedings were opened due to desertion in 10 months of this year. The number of deserters is increasing year-on-year: compared to the same period last year, the number of such cases increased by 3.7 times. Only 3% of cases this year have been served with a notice of suspicion, and only 1.3% of cases have gone to trial,’ the report says.

According to analysts, 41,950 criminal proceedings have been opened this year due to going AWOL, twice as many as due to desertion.

Meanwhile, the number of cases under Article 407 (unauthorized abandonment of a unit) increased by 3.3 times over the year. At the same time, the investigation of cases of unauthorized abandonment of a unit is also more effective - 13% of cases were served with a suspicion, and 7% went to court.

• Earlier, the Financial Times, citing its own sources, reported that since the beginning of 2024, Ukrainian prosecutors have opened about 60,000 proceedings for unauthorized abandonment of military units, twice as many as in 2022 and 2023.