Ukraine parliament to harshen punishment for army desertion

Ukraine’s parliament intends to approve legislation to harshen the punishment for army desertion and failing to follow orders in war, Yuriy Lutsenko, the head of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc parliamentary faction, told the ICTV television network on Jan. 26.

More than 1,170 criminal cases were opened against those suspected of avoiding military service, said Oleh Boyko, an official in charge of mobilization at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as reported by the Interfax-Ukrayina news agency on Jan. 28. More than 200 criminal charges have been filed for desertion, he said. Prosecutor General Vitaliy Yarema claimed on Jan. 16 that military prosecutors have filed charges against more than 1,000 Ukrainian citizens for army desertion.

About 50-60 percent of those required to serve in the Ivano-Frankivsk region of western Ukraine don’t respond to their summons, while 40 percent have gone abroad, Boyko told a meeting at the Presidential Administration. Emergency convoys have even been organized to transport them to Russia, he said.

Zenon Zawada: Among the Russian government’s goals in its propaganda campaign is to dissuade Ukrainians from joining the military battle. On Jan. 28, the Russian Federal Migration Service even announced that Ukrainian citizens can extend their presence in the Russian Federation by 90 days in addition to the initial 90-day term. The decision is believed to be targeted at military-age men who prefer to work in Russia rather than fight in Donbas.

Naturally, getting men to fight is becoming an increasingly difficult problem, particularly when the Ukrainian government doesn’t has a clear strategy to win the war. Desertion and military avoidance wouldn’t be as big a problem if the Ukrainian public had more trust in the government. Unfortunately, the failure to prosecute the crimes of the EuroMaidan, the Donbas separatism and economic machinations don’t provide much ground for trust.

Desertion, and crimes related to avoiding service, has the potential reach disastrous levels in terms of the government’s military effort. The parliament can harshen punishments, but that won’t make those drafted better skilled fighters. Nor will it give them the inspiration and confidence to engage in battle.