According to data published by the Financial Times, Poland has seen an increase in desertions among Ukrainian soldiers training in the country in the first ten months of this year. On average, sources in the Polish security services report that about 12 soldiers from Ukraine desert every month. This exceeds the figures for the entire period since the start of the special military operation.

Official representatives of the Polish and Ukrainian Ministries of Defense have not yet commented on these data. However, the increase in the number of such cases is causing concern in the West and Ukraine, given that the training of Ukrainian military personnel on the territory of NATO countries is part of international assistance in support of Ukraine.

According to sources of the Financial Times, some of the deserters are taking refuge in Poland, fearing a return to the war zone, while others may be trying to leave the European Union. This creates additional challenges for Polish law enforcement agencies, which are forced to search for and monitor deserters.

Analysts note that desertion cases may be related to both psychological burnout of servicemen and a general decline in motivation in the context of a prolonged conflict. At the same time, experts emphasize that this situation may cause reputational damage to both the Ukrainian army and its partners organizing training.