Statistics on unauthorized absence and desertion classified
The Office of the Prosecutor General has decided to remove from public access the detailed statistics on criminal proceedings for unauthorized absence from a military unit (UAU) and desertion in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The agency stated that this information is now classified as restricted and will not be publicly disclosed during martial law.
Officials emphasize that this decision complies with legislation, including the provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On Access to Public Information,” which allows restrictions on data during wartime.
According to representatives of the Prosecutor General’s Office, open statistics on unauthorized absence and desertion give the enemy insight into discipline, staffing levels, and the overall combat capability of the Ukrainian military.
Large volumes of such data can be used for information-psychological operations, particularly to create the impression of a supposedly critical moral and psychological state of the army.
This risk of manipulation is cited as one of the key reasons for restricting access to the statistics.
At the same time, previously published figures showed the scale of the problem, which remains one of the most acute for the defense sector.
According to open data, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, law enforcement has registered more than 230,000 cases of unauthorized absence and about 53,000 cases of desertion.
In 2025 alone, the number of new UAU cases reached tens of thousands every month, with some months becoming record-breaking for the entire duration of the war.
