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[global times report] on september 8 local time, cnn released a report titled "the ukrainian army is facing the dilemma of low morale and desertion due to lack of equipment and insufficient manpower", saying that six ukrainian officers interviewed by the media said that desertion and disobedience are becoming a common problem.

ukrainian soldiers are resting after completing the cross-border mission. cnn report

according to reports, russia's two-and-a-half-year fierce offensive has caused heavy casualties among many ukrainian troops. few reinforcements have left some ukrainian soldiers exhausted and demoralized. the situation is particularly serious for infantry units near pokrovsk and other areas of the eastern ukrainian front. pokrovsk has become the center of the war in eastern ukraine, according to reports. for several months, the russian army has been slowly advancing into the area, but has accelerated its advance in recent weeks as the ukrainian defense line began to collapse.

an anonymous ukrainian troop commander who is fighting in pokrovsk told cnn, "not all mobilized soldiers left their posts, but most of them left. when the recruits came here, they saw how difficult it is here. they saw a lot of enemy drones, artillery and mortars." he told cnn, "they (recruits) go to the position once, and if they survive, they will never come back. they either leave the position, refuse to go to the battlefield, or find a way to leave the army."

july 12, 2024, kiev, ukraine, ukrainian conscripts line up outside the government service center to wait for procedures. cnn report picture

cnn said that the discipline problems of the ukrainian army had already appeared before. ukraine went through an extremely difficult period from last winter to this spring. the delay of us military aid to ukraine led to an extreme shortage of ammunition and serious low morale. at that time, several ukrainian soldiers told cnn that they often found themselves in advantageous positions with a clear view of the approaching enemy, but had no shells to fire. some soldiers said they felt guilty for not being able to provide adequate fire cover for the infantry.

it is reported that as the situation on the battlefield deteriorates, more and more ukrainian troops are deserting the battlefield. according to data released by the ukrainian parliament, in the first four months of 2024 alone, ukrainian prosecutors filed criminal charges against nearly 19,000 soldiers who left their posts without permission, including soldiers on the front line and in the rear. cnn said this is an astonishing number and is likely to be incomplete. several ukrainian commanders told cnn that many officers will not report soldiers' unauthorized absences, but hope to persuade them to return voluntarily so that they will not face punishment. this practice has become so common that ukraine has amended its laws so that the first act of leaving the post without permission is no longer a criminal offense.

according to cnn, ukrainian armed forces commander-in-chief serski admitted in an interview with the media that low morale is still a problem for the ukrainian army, and said that boosting morale is a "very important part" of his work. he said that the action in the kursk region of russia "has not only greatly improved the morale of the army, but also the morale of the entire ukrainian people."

the report said that the action brought great encouragement to the exhausted country. ukraine has been at a disadvantage for most of the past year. but some ukrainian soldiers questioned the action. a group of ukrainian engineers who completed the cross-border mission told cnn that they questioned why they were sent to kursk when the eastern front was in chaos. one of them said, "it feels strange to enter russia, because in this war, we should defend our land and country, but now we are fighting on the territory of another country."

another ukrainian officer interviewed by cnn, dima (pseudonym), once commanded a force of about 800 people against the russian army, with the most recent battle taking place near pokrovsk. however, most of dima's men have died or been seriously injured. dima said he had had enough.

cnn said that dima left the front line and found a job in the rear of the army in kiev. he told cnn that he just couldn't bear to watch his men die anymore. dima said they never received enough reinforcements, and he blamed it all on the ukrainian government. over the past year, his troops have suffered heavy losses. they fought in multiple front-line areas and were then sent to pokrovsk without any rest. seeing his men suffer heavy casualties, dima has become numb. but he told cnn that he is determined to return to the front line, but he has to make a change first. dima said, "i have decided now that i will no longer invest my emotions in others. this is a bad approach, but it is the wisest approach."