AWOL and desertion
Official criminal proceedings for unauthorized absence (art. 407) and desertion (art. 408), alongside public estimates of scale. These are different metrics: the case register counts proceedings; the MoD figure is a current headcount in AWOL status.
From December 2025 the Prosecutor General’s Office restricted publication of military-crime statistics for martial law. The series below is the last open OGP disclosure (through October 2025) plus public statements. One person can appear in multiple events; a case ≠ a unique individual.
Official (case register / PGO)
as of 31 October 2025Public estimates
as of 14 January 2026Estimates do not replace the case register: the defence minister cited personnel currently in AWOL status; units report that not every internal report becomes a criminal case immediately.
2025 process (Jan–Oct)
* 2025 = January–October (last open PGO data).
New proceedings by year
Cumulative trend
Yearly detail (official)
| Year | AWOL | Desertion | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 6,988 | 3,400 | 10,388 |
| 2023 | 17,658 | 7,800 | 25,458 |
| 2024 | 67,840 | 23,300 | 91,140 |
| 2025* | 162,514 | 21,700 | 184,214 |
* 2025 is a partial year (Jan–Oct). Detailed PGO stats have been closed since December 2025.
Sources: PGO (media replies / case register) · Opendatabot · M. Fedorov in parliament (14 Jan 2026) · open unit-level estimates
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