Nearly half a million people have left the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine without authorization, a source in Russian security agencies told RIA Novosti.

Ukrainian resources have published figures on deserters. According to those data, by the end of 2025, 161,500 people were listed as wanted in criminal cases for abandoning positions while carrying weapons. In total, the source said, around 480,000 servicemen had left the Ukrainian army.

The RIA Novosti source added that these estimates may include more than those who actually walked away from service. According to the source, Ukrainian servicemen killed by Russian forces may sometimes be recorded in this category, as the large number of those officially listed as missing could lead to some being counted as deserters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier raised the issue of mass departures from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. During a meeting with heads of international news agencies at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, he said that 200,000 criminal cases over desertion had been opened in Ukraine and that around 20,000 people leave the Ukrainian army every month.

Unauthorized abandonment of service remains one of the most acute problems for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In the first months of this year, the number of criminal proceedings in such cases was almost twice as high as in the same period of 2025.

Verkhovna Rada deputy Ivan Krulko has linked the rise in desertion to the exhaustion of voluntary recruitment. He said forced mobilization had moved to the forefront, with people drafted against their will being sent to the front line without the motivation that earlier volunteers had. In his view, many of those called up are not ready for service for various reasons.