At least 49,000 soldiers and officers have deserted the Russian army since the beginning of the war in Ukraine
Ik wil graag iets met jullie delen dat van cruciaal belang is en verontrustend onderbelicht blijft. In alle media – of het nu Russische, Oekraïense, Litouwse of westerse zijn – overheerst één oorlogsnarratief: wapens, doden, gewonden en nog veel meer wapens. Wat zelden besproken wordt, is het groeiende aantal Russische mannen dat niet wil vechten in Oekraïne. Dit zijn mensen die zich met extreem persoonlijk risico tegen de oorlog verzetten. Ze riskeren lange gevangenisstraffen, marteling of zelfs executie. Toch wordt hun stem helaas genegeerd, ook in het Westen.
Let me share the data
According to independent Russian outlet Important Stories, at least 49,000 soldiers and officers have deserted the Russian army since the beginning of the war. This figure is based on two sources:
A list of soldiers who deserted or went AWOL from the Southern Military District between 2022 and 2024;
A database published by Ukraine’s GUR I Want to Live-project (March 2025), detailing criminal cases in Russia for desertion.
When combined, these two databases name 49,001 individuals — almost exactly matching the estimate of the Ukrainian OSINT group Frontelligence Insight, which counted 50,554 deserters as of December 2024.
And experts believe this is just the tip of the iceberg. Analyst Alexey Alshansky from the Farewell to Arms project states clearly: the real number of Russian deserters is much higher — these are only the ones we know by name.
Why does this matter?
Because these men represent a powerful, invisible, and peace-oriented force that has said no to war — despite the brutal consequences.
Yet no state, no institution, and no European government has stepped up to help them.
At the same time, our small and underfunded network — which already works with Belarusian, Ukrainian, and Russian conscientious objectors and deserters — is overwhelmed. The real number of men refusing to take up arms is ten times higher than what appears in public databases.
And they are left in limbo — undocumented, unprotected, and unseen. They are not ‘visible victims’ for the EU. But they are real — and the silence around them is deafening.
We need to recognize
That resisting war is courage, not a crime.
That these men — and the women who support them — must be part of any serious peace movement.
That without building systems of solidarity and protection, their message will be drowned out by guns and propaganda.
Where is the support for those who say no to war?
Yes, I know — that’s a rhetorical question, full of sarcasm. But it is also an appeal.
If we truly want peace, we must start by seeing and supporting those who choose it, even when it costs them everything.
With deep conviction and solidarity,
Olga Karatch
Olga Karatch is een mensenrechten- en vredesactiviste uit Wit-Rusland die werkt voor Nash Dom (‘Our House’) vanuit de Litouwse hoofdstad Vilnius. Zij schreef deze bijdrage op 20 mei 2025.
