Published 9 September 2024 at 17.51
Foreign. After two and a half years of a war of attrition, morale is now dropping rapidly in the Ukrainian army, CNN reports. Ukrainian politicians are now forced to make concessions where those who desert the first time escape punishment.
Share the article
TwitterShare
The channel has spoken to several soldiers who have had enough of seeing the dying and the killing at the front.
Dima, a former battalion commander who led 800 men, is an example of men who simply tired.
His unit took part in some of the bloodiest battles, most recently near the strategic city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, which is now close to falling into Russian hands. After seeing the majority of his soldiers die or be seriously injured, Dima left the front line and took a desk job in Kiev.
— I could no longer handle watching my men die, Dima told CNN, chain smoking outside his new office.
The situation in Pokrovsk and on other parts of the Eastern Front is particularly critical. Several Ukrainian units have been decimated by Russia's prolonged offensive, and with few reinforcements available, the soldiers are exhausted and demoralized.
The newly recruited soldiers, who are often young and inexperienced, have almost never volunteered for the war, but have in practice often been kidnapped by the authorities on the streets of Ukrainian cities. For them, the battles have become overwhelming.
— When new soldiers see the amount of enemy drones, artillery and grenade launchers, then they leave their positions or refuse to go into battle, says an anonymous commander who is still fighting in Pokrovsk.
Ukrainian politicians have been forced to make concessions when more and more people refuse to defend them. A change in the law has made it possible for soldiers who desert or leave their posts without permission to escape punishment if it is the first time. But many commanders have chosen not to report deserters in the hope that the soldiers will return voluntarily.
Andriy Horetskyi, a Ukrainian officer specializing in providing psychological support to troops, has seen these morale problems up close.
p>
— In the monotony of war, small breaks from the routine, like a real shower or a dip in a lake, can make a big difference, says Horetskyi to CNN.
However, the fighting has not only weakened morale but also created internal problems within the Ukrainian forces. Lack of communication between units has left some positions unprotected, and in some cases Ukraine's own signal interference has hampered coordination on the battlefield.
Despite the worsening of the situation on the Eastern Front, Ukraine has continued to try to strengthen its forces through offensives, which the recent operation in Russia's Kursk region.
Although this operation boosted morale in the country, many soldiers on the ground are skeptical. So-called sappers, Ukrainian combat technicians who are responsible for clearing mines and preparing defensive positions, are doubtful about the strategy.
— It feels strange to be fighting on Russian soil when we should actually be defending our own country, says one of them , exhausted after a long mission.
Dima, considering returning to battle, states that in the future he will not form emotional bonds with his soldiers.
— I have decided to no longer attach to people emotionally. It's a rotten strategy, but it's the most sensible one, he concludes to CNN.