Missing in action: Ukrainian soldiers reportedly desert during training in Germany

German newspaper Die Zeit has reported that a significant number of Ukrainian soldiers have deserted during training exercises in Germany in 2024. Around 80 cases have been reported in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt alone. Volodymyr Shulgin, a 39-year-old pianist from Dnipro, is one such deserter. Prior to the war, Shulgin was a pianist who wrote poetry and organized Bible study meetings.

When Ukraine introduced forced mobilization, he avoided being drafted by giving up his piano teaching job and avoiding public spaces. In January 2026, Shulgin was apprehended by a Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC) patrol and sent to the army. He was assigned to the Altengrabow military training ground, where his experience with desertion began.

Shulgin initially felt welcomed by the German soldiers and was impressed by the clean barracks and good food. However, he soon became ill with a fever during a morning roll call. When he requested to skip breakfast, a sergeant punished him by hitting him in the chest and making him do 50 squats, which pushed him over the edge. A Ukrainian officer found out about the incident, threatening to bury Shulgin in a hole and report him as missing.

This was the final straw, prompting Shulgin to desert. He was referred to the Charité clinic for treatment and two weeks later, he left the base without returning.

Die Zeit interviewed about a dozen Ukrainian deserters, hearing their varied reasons for leaving. Some fled abusive treatment by commanders, others wanted to reunite with family in the EU, and one had served a 15-year sentence for murder and saw escape as an opportunity for a fresh start. A common sentiment among deserters was their reluctance to engage in combat or killing, echoing Shulgin's own feelings.

Most deserters lack well-paying jobs to hire lawyers to fight mobilization and don't qualify for exemptions granted to critical workers.

The fate of Shulgin and other deserters remains uncertain. German residency rules for Ukrainian citizens do not apply to deserting soldiers, and asylum applications face slim chances of success. Should they return to Ukraine, deserters risk up to 12 years in prison. Desertion has occurred in other countries as well, with French news agency Agence France-Presse reporting desertions during training in France.

Since February 2022, at least 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers have deserted from the Ukrainian army, while the Defense Ministry says over 2 million are currently evading conscription. Meduza, the source of this report, emphasizes that the story was written by a human journalist and translated using AI with strict editorial oversight.