The new Defense Minister found the Armed Forces under pressure and with little capacity to continue feeding the front line. These two factors may help explain it
Ukraine estimates that 200,000 of its soldiers are absent without official leave (AWOL), which means they abandoned their posts without permission, the new Defense Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, revealed this Wednesday.
Speaking in the Ukrainian Parliament before the vote confirming him as the new defense chief, Fedorov also said that around two million Ukrainians are “wanted” for avoiding military service.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have been under pressure for years as they try to defend the country against a much larger and stronger enemy. Conditions on the front line have been brutal, with Kiev’s troops often trying to hold key positions even when they are outnumbered and outgunned.
Rumors have long circulated about low morale and high desertion rates, but Fedorov’s comments mark the first time a Ukrainian official has revealed the scale of the problem.
According to Ukrainian law, all men between the ages of 18 and 60 are required to register with the army and carry their documents with them at all times, although only those between the ages of 25 and 60 are subject to mobilization.
Ukraine’s martial law prohibits all men between the ages of 23 and 60 eligible for military service from leaving the country, but tens of thousands have fled illegally.
After meeting with Fedorov this Wednesday, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that “broader changes” were needed in the country’s mobilization process.
Fedorov is the youngest person to serve as Ukraine’s defense minister – he will turn 35 next week, having stepped in to replace Denys Shmyhal, who in turn became Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister and energy minister.
Fedorov previously served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, a role in which he oversaw, among others, Ukraine’s successful drone warfare project. Speaking this Wednesday, he said that Ukraine’s labor problems made technological advances even more important.
“More robots mean less losses, more technology means fewer deaths. The lives of Ukrainian heroes have the greatest value”, he reiterated.
The minister added that there are now 500 Ukrainian companies producing drones, 200 companies manufacturing jamming equipment and more than 20 private missile manufacturers.
Strengthening the technological component of the armed forces will be one of Fedorov’s priorities in his new role, said Zelensky.
