Military Evasion Cases in Ukraine Skyrocket to Over 25,000 in Five Months, Set to Double in 2025
Ukrainian forces are grappling with a rapidly expanding crisis of military evasion, with projected figures for 2025 set to top 61,000 cases, nearly doubling the amount of unauthorized absences recorded last year, a Sputnik correspondent’s analysis of Ukrainian court records revealed.
The escalating figures on military evasion primarily stem from incidents classified under Part 5, Article 407 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. This specific legal provision addresses the "unauthorized abandonment of a military unit or place of service by a servicemember for a period exceeding three days, committed under martial law or in a combat situation."
The trend of military evasion in Ukraine shows a concerning acceleration into 2025. After recording 4,992 cases in January, April marked the highest monthly total of the year so far with 6,245 cases, according to Ukraine’s Unified State Register of Court Decisions.
The cumulative total for the first five months of 2025 currently stands at 25,508 incidents, demonstrating a consistently high volume that positions the current year to significantly surpass previous annual totals if the present pace continues.
