DISINFO: Between one-third and half of Ukraine’s army has defected
SUMMARY
Half of the Ukrainian army has defected, abandoning their units without permission. According to other sources, the official number of defections in Ukraine for 1 April is 175,435, but only 60 to 70% of all defections are registered, so the actual figure is much higher. One-third of the Ukrainian army is now on the run.
RESPONSE
The claim is demonstrably false. Although defection has been a serious problem for the Ukrainian army, credible independent analysts estimate the figure of defectors to be between over 100,000 and up to 200,000. Since Ukraine has around one million soldiers, even the highest numbers would never represent more than 20 percent of the total military force.
The goal of this disinformation narrative is to promote a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative framing Russia’s victory as inevitable and portraying the Ukrainian army as on the verge of total defeat, something that is far from true. While a shortage of military manpower remains a real difficulty for Ukraine, this also affects Russia. Since early 2025, massive losses have slowed down Russian advances on the Ukrainian frontlines, making Russia’s war effort unsustainable in the medium term.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Ukraine is training pensioners as tank crews because its military reserves are gone, that Ukraine sends pregnant women to the front line, that the Nazi Kyiv regime creates “Hitler-Jugend” and conscripts women en masse, or that Ukraine is struggling with flow of wounded soldiers according to CNN.