Tens of thousands of Russian soldiers have abandoned their posts and refused to return to war, as internal data leaks reveal a dramatic collapse of morale in the Russian army during its illegal invasion of Ukraine. According to a detailed investigation by independent Russian outlet Important Stories, at least 49,000 servicemen have been placed on Moscow’s wanted list for desertion or unauthorised absence since the war began in 2022.
The data is drawn from two separate leaked lists of deserters. The first was released in December 2024 by the Telegram channel “Mobilisation of the DPR”. It contained names from the Southern Military District stored in a file called the “SOCH YuVO 2024 Database”, listing more than 26,000 soldiers who left their units without permission.
The second list, even larger, was shared by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence intelligence initiative “I Want to Live” and included over 36,000 suspected deserters. Ukrainian officials say the list was obtained from within the Russian armed forces. When combined, after removing duplicate entries and verifying the records, journalists counted over 49,000 individual cases.
Some of the entries date back to as early as November 2022, with the most recent in June 2024. While not every person in the database has been confirmed as a deserter — some have been recorded as missing, dead, or captured — the lists paint a bleak picture of discontent and panic in the Russian ranks.
Reasons for desertion range from fleeing the frontlines to refusing to return to duty after injury or escape from military facilities. Nearly 300 people named in the leaks were later reported as killed or missing in action.
The “Farewell to Arms” project, which tracks desertion in the Russian army, cautioned that the leaked figures may actually understate the true number of those abandoning the war. Analyst Alexey Alshansky noted that the data lacks full coverage for 2024 and does not include the most recent months of the war. He believes the actual number of deserters likely exceeds 50,000.
These revelations are deeply embarrassing for the Kremlin. They expose the widespread fear, exhaustion and disillusionment among Russian soldiers ordered to fight in Ukraine on behalf of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Desertion on this scale represents a severe internal fracture within Russia’s military machine.
