More than 20,000 Russian soldiers have been prosecuted for refusing to fight in Ukraine, a Russian independent media outlet Mediazona reported on June 26, citing online data from military courts.
As of late May, Mediazona had documented 20,538 such cases since September 2022 (when the Kremlin announced a first wave of partial mobilization) compared to 10,025 cases reported as of June 2024.
Of these, 18,159 were cases of soldiers going AWOL, 1,369 cases of failure to comply with an order, and 1,010 cases of desertion.
According to Mediazona, 17,721 of the accused have already been sentenced.
The Insider reported that Moscow uses a systematic program of “gulag-style” abuse directed at its soldiers in Ukraine in order to “maintain order” and punish perceived offenders.
Reports of Russian soldiers being abused by commanders and fellow troops have emerged since the full-scale war against Ukraine began.
Moscow has only intensified its war effort despite calls by Kyiv, the U.S., and European partners for an unconditional ceasefire as a first step toward a peace deal.
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia recruits around 40,000-45,000 men for its military every month.
Although Russia did go through phases of mobilization and has made great use of its prison population, most new recruits have for a while been volunteer contract soldiers, lured in by one-time signup bonuses often more than several years’ average salary in poorer regions of Russia.
In late 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to increase the size of Russia’s Armed Forces to about 2.4 million, including 1.5 million military personnel.