This news also attracted the attention of Lithuanian internet users. One Facebook user posted a screenshot of the headline and illustration of a text published on an unspecified website. The post received 265 reactions, and several people shared it.
The photo shows several, as can be understood from the captions, Ukrainian soldiers with bags, with the text above: “Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers in Germany did not return to their units after training – some withdrew directly from the training grounds.”
According to the headline, this text can also be found. It appeared on August 21 on the website 77.lt. However, from the very first sentence, it is clear that the colors in the headline are somewhat exaggerated: “About 80 cases were recorded in Saxony-Anhalt alone, but there is no official nationwide statistics in Germany yet.”
The article quotes the portal “Euronews,” which in turn relied on an investigation by the German weekly “Die Zeit.” According to journalists, some of the soldiers sent to German training grounds do not return to their units in Ukraine after training.
“The most specific numbers were obtained from the Saxony-Anhalt Ministry of the Interior. It knows about approximately 80 cases where Ukrainian soldiers withdrew during training in Germany,” it says on 77.lt, but it is also noted that it is not yet possible to speak about the exact number of deserters across Germany.
Since the federal government has not published national statistics, and data confirmed by other states are not made public, the “several hundred” mentioned in the media is an estimate collected during the investigation, the author emphasizes.
After asking to skip breakfast, the sergeant hit him in the chest. When the man fell down, he was ordered to do 50 squats as punishment.
On the website’s social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram), the news is somewhat softened – it is stated that “some Ukrainian soldiers withdrew directly from German training grounds.” Similar wording is found on some other websites.
Information about hundreds of deserting soldiers was published by many media outlets: Russian news agency TASS, Turkish news agency “Anadolu”, and portal “Yeni Şafak”, Ukrainian website kurs.com.ua, business news website “IntelliNews”.
Faced humiliation
In these reports, the primary source cited is the German weekly “Die Zeit” or the portal “Euronews,” which on August 20 published a message based on its article.
The article on the magazine’s portal was published the same day. However, it is available only to subscribers; everyone can read only the headline “He does not want to fight” and the first sentences: “The Ukrainian army trains soldiers in Germany. But some escape, for example, Volodymyr Shulhyn. What will happen to him now?”
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From these phrases, it is not clear that thousands are deserting. It can be understood that the article tells about one man who deserted, hints that there are more who acted similarly, but speaks of “several” (German mehrere).
V. Shulhyn’s story, based on “Die Zeit,” was retold by the website “Meduza” the same day. It also mentions dozens of confirmed cases (meaning about 80 deserters in Saxony-Anhalt).
The 39-year-old pianist and poet allegedly tried to avoid mobilization from the very beginning of the war, rarely leaving home to avoid patrols from the Territorial Recruitment Center. But at the end of January this year, he was caught and sent to the army, after a good week – to the Altengrabow military training ground on the border of Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg.
At first, the recruit allegedly did not even think about deserting. The Germans welcomed him warmly, housed him in clean barracks, fed him well, so he wanted to learn. After a few days, V. Shulhyn developed a fever and felt unwell during the morning inspection. After asking to skip breakfast, the sergeant allegedly hit him in the chest in front of others. When the man fell down, he was ordered to do 50 squats as punishment.
The Defense Ministry is aware that individual members of the Ukrainian armed forces deserted during training in Germany.
Later, the Ukrainian asked the German doctor for fever-reducing medicine and mentioned the incident. Upon learning about this, Ukrainian officials threatened “to bury him in a hole and declare him missing.”
It was then that V. Shulhyn decided to desert. The German doctor referred him to the Charité clinic. After two weeks, he left and never returned to the base.
Speaking about isolated cases
“Die Zeit” journalists claimed to have spoken with about a dozen Ukrainian deserters. One escaped from the violence of commanders, another had served a 15-year prison sentence for murder and saw escape as a chance to start over. Two wanted to meet relatives living in the European Union whom they had not seen for years. Another explained such a step: “I just don’t want to die and I don’t want to kill.”
Most deserters, “Meduza” quotes the weekly, lack well-paid jobs that would allow them to hire a lawyer and avoid mobilization. They also do not belong to the 1.3 million people working in sectors considered critical by the state, who can avoid service.
It is unclear whether V. Shulhyn and other deserters will be allowed to stay in Germany. The general rules under which residence permits are granted to Ukrainian citizens fleeing the Russian invasion do not apply to those who deserted on military territory.
The only legal way to stay is to apply for asylum and prove that returning to Ukraine would endanger their lives or that they would be politically persecuted. In Ukraine, deserters face criminal liability, including imprisonment for up to 12 years.
Since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, about 29,000 Ukrainians have been trained in Germany. Therefore, Germany is the main supporter of the EU training mission (EU Military Assistance Mission for Ukraine, EUMAM UA), involving 24 countries. In total, 87,000 Ukrainian soldiers have received initial or advanced training in this mission.
During the first two years, mostly experienced or highly motivated soldiers participated in training; now Ukraine is sending newcomers to the EU. The number of deserters in the defending country has also reportedly increased – about 60,000 are mentioned.
In January, news agency AFP reported that “several dozen” of the 2,200 soldiers of the 155th mechanized brigade deserted during training in France. Military representatives assessed these cases as isolated, considering the number of soldiers participating in training.
A similar comment was made by the German Defense Ministry, given to “Die Zeit” – its representatives also talk about isolated incidents. The ministry is aware of cases where Ukrainian soldiers deserted during training in Germany. “The Federal Ministry of Defense is aware that individual members of the Ukrainian armed forces deserted during training in Germany,” the magazine quoted a spokesperson for the training leadership in Strausberg near Berlin.
She emphasized that the German armed forces have no role in identifying Ukrainian deserters. These are internal affairs of the Ukrainian armed forces, for which these authorities are responsible.
Even several hundred possible desertion cases would constitute a relatively small portion of about 29,000 soldiers trained in Germany. But the phenomenon reveals a bigger problem of the Ukrainian army – decreasing ability to constantly replenish frontline units. The prolonged war, deaths and injuries, and constant rotation have reduced the ranks of available soldiers, and attracting new volunteers is becoming increasingly difficult.
15min verdict: lacks context. The German weekly “Die Zeit” indeed published confirmation that about 80 Ukrainians who came for training have deserted in Saxony-Anhalt so far. It was also estimated that there could be hundreds of such cases nationwide, but this assumption is not supported by any documents or official comments.
