In part to alleviate the problem, the Rada passed a law in September which determined that first-time deserters who then voluntarily return to their units would not face punishment.

This amnesty is only to last to the end of the year though.

At the same time, there is an element of pragmatism in many deserters' motivation – far from absconding for good, many of them say they are simply on the hunt for a better commanding officer or better unit, and have no issue in fighting for Ukraine if those preconditions are met.

At a time when the U.S. is urging Ukraine to mobilize young men starting at the age of 18, unauthorized absences have become a serious issue in Ukraine's military.

ERR reporters spoke with one such individual, referred to as Ivan - not their real name for anonymity's sake. Ivan volunteered to join the Ukrainian army at the start of the war and fought in the Kharkiv and Bakhmut sectors, before going AWOL in the summer of this year.

Ivan said that the sheer number of desertions was the result of military losses.

"The number of deserters blew up once soldiers started dying by the company's worth. The main reason for quitting the military was fear," he said.

Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigations (DBR) has reported that since the beginning of the full-scale war, nearly 60,000 people have left their units without permission.

The number is growing too.

Last year, the figure was 17,000 desertions; in the first 10 months of this year alone, the number has already surpassed 30,000, even as desertion carries with it a prison sentence of up to 12 years.

This apparently isn't sufficient deterrence – in fact precisely due to the large numbers in question leading to a kind of "I am Spartacus" moment.

"Prison doesn't scare deserters," Ivan added.

"Everyone knows that when this mess is over, the state won't have enough prosecutors or prison space to accommodate everyone," he noted.

Despite the law change, many deserters have been apprehended and handed over to the military police, while it is not unheard of for those on leave to be falsely, if temporarily until their status is verified, arrested for the same reason.

Andrii, another Ukrainian soldier, actually got caught.

He said: "I always knew they would catch up with me one day."

"I was driving to work when police stopped me, checked my documents, and announced I was on the wanted list."

"They then took me to the station and handed me over to the military police," he recalled.

Andrii was mobilized last year and served less than a year on the front line.

He put his finger on another issue, one also all-too familiar to soldiers on the enemy side, that of corrupt, ineffective, or downright abusive officers. He described losing trust in his commanders after one he looked up to, callsign Fil, tragically fell.

"Fil treated us well, like his own. The other commanders were complete idiots. After Fil was killed, we all fled," Andrii said.

"We were treated like dogs. Why should we sit there when the commander threatens to shoot us himself?"

Ihor, a volunteer who had served on the front line for two years, left for similar reasons:

He said: "Half of us were at the front, while the others just sat in the headquarters."

"They were constantly on leave while we never got any. When we finally rotated back, they wouldn't let us rest. So that's why I quit," Ihor went on.

Andrii and Ihor are now back in the Ukrainian military, albeit serving in a different brigade and under a new commander.

Another active-duty soldier who gave his name as Hunter said he had mixed feelings on the deserters' choices.

"Yes, you could say they betrayed their comrades. But you also have to understand their situation. I'm not justifying it, but they're now working well in a maintenance unit, and I have no complaints about them," Hunter said.

Lawyer Anna Fursova explained that Ukraine's legal changes in fact had the unintended side effect opposite to their intention and encourage soldiers to do the very thing Andrii and Ihor had done – to leave their units, only to return later to join another brigade.

She said: "Why go through the hassle of requesting a transfer when you can just leave and rejoin a different unit? It's easier."

Meanwhile, military analyst Mykhailo Samus, from think tank the New Geopolitics Research Network, said that the numbers now returning stretch into the thousands and that signs for the future were more hopeful.

"In the last 72 hours alone, 2,000 people have returned to the military. That's quite a lot—half a brigade in fact. At this pace, we could form several brigades by year's end," Samus said.

Ivan concurred that desertion is sometimes just a way to escape a bad commander.

"It's strange, but it works. It's better to leave the unit and let yourself get caught out on the street. Then recruiters from other units come and ask where you'd like to go. You get to choose your next commander," he explained.

Another soldier who had gone AWOL, Artem, said it was Ukraine's forced mobilization which was to blame.

"Those who wanted to defend their country have already joined. Sadly, many of them have been killed. Forcing people to fight isn't right—there's no use to it. A person must really want to defend their family and country."

According to Fursova, many recruits abandon their units as early on as during basic training.

She said: "They start training, realize it's not for them, and leave immediately."

ERR's Anton Aleksejev asked Ivan how many soldiers might return under the amnesty law.

"Those who left for emotional reasons will come back," Ivan predicted. "People who had conflicts, were underpaid, or denied leave—they'll return. This law is aimed at them. But those who decided to leave forever won't be coming back.

Others like Ihor believe the situation won't change much one way or another.

"Those who want to return, will do so. Those who don't will flee abroad. If they fail to manage that, they'll be brought back. They're searching for us everywhere," Ihor said.

ERR's Anton Aleksejev and Kristjan Svirgsden have been providing regular reportage from the frontline in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

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