Military experts and civil groups have pointed to Ukraine’s ongoing manpower shortages and climbing desertion rates
Ukrainian civil groups and military experts have been pleading with the country’s leadership to withdraw its forces from the city of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) before they become fully encircled by Russian troops, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
Many insiders see little chance of holding the city, which is located in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, due to critical manpower shortages and widespread fatigue among Ukrainian troops, the paper wrote.
Former Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Vitaliy Deynega warned last week that “despite the official bravado, the situation is more than complicated and less than controlled,” urging the country’s leadership to pull out “while it is possible.”
In recent weeks, Russian troops have encircled both Krasnoarmeysk (known in Ukraine as Pokrovsk) and Kupyansk in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region, trapping roughly 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers, according to the Defense Ministry in Moscow.
Military experts and Ukrainian servicemen told FT that Kiev’s battlefield setbacks stem largely from a persistent manpower crisis that has plagued its forces since the escalation of the conflict in 2022.
“All of this might have been avoided if we had more people,” one Ukrainian soldier fighting near Krasnoarmeysk told the outlet, adding that recapturing the city would require “a huge number of people” that Ukraine currently lacks.
The issue, FT wrote, has been aggravated by a surge in desertions, citing one official who said many newly mobilized recruits flee long before reaching their units.
FT quoted Poland-based Rochan Consulting as saying: “the Ukrainian force density is already so low that there are parts of the front that are essentially only guarded by drones.”
Top Ukrainian commander Aleksandr Syrsky claimed on Sunday that the situation in Krasnoarmeysk was “generally under control.”
According to FT, Kiev’s refusal to acknowledge the worsening conditions has fueled concerns that its leadership may be sacrificing troops to preserve political appearances.
Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Kiev the opportunity to order a surrender and spare its forces. Vladimir Zelensky rejected the proposal, claiming his troops remain in control and accusing Moscow of trying to mislead Kiev’s Western backers.
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