ISW recorded a high level of desertion among the occupiers.

The Institute for the Study of War reported that the Russian military command does not care about its soldiers and insufficient weapons supply is causing mass desertion in the Russian army.

According to the publication 'Important Stories', an opposition military newspaper, an internal document from the Russian Ministry of Defense details cases of desertion of over 1000 servicemen, including officers, in the 20th Motorized Rifle Division (8th Combined Arms Army, Southern Military District). This number exceeds the number of fighters in a battalion as of April 20, 2024.

According to 'Important Stories', the command of the 20th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade appealed to the Ministry of Defense to request the return of deserters and to interrogate the personnel of the 33rd and 255th Motorized Rifle Regiments of the 20th SMB. They explained that heavy losses, the absence of promised payments to soldiers, and the practice of sending injured and sick personnel into assaults are the reasons for such a high level of desertion.

Experts from the Institute for the Study of War note that 'these complaints reflect widespread outrage among Russian ultranationalist military bloggers about the poor treatment of servicemen by the Ministry of Defense, and documents indicate that the military agency understands the scale of the problems with the morale of Russian soldiers.'

A video published by the Russian opposition outlet 'Mobilization News' shows soldiers from the 36th Motorized Rifle Brigade (29th Air Army, Eastern Military District) addressing the Russian Minister of Defense with complaints about commanders who send them into assaults without reconnaissance and artillery support.

Russian soldiers also claim that they have to spend their salaries on purchasing their own gear and fortification materials, as the military command does not provide them with necessities.