Over 1,000 soldiers from Russia’s 20th Motorized Rifle Division have reportedly gone AWOL during full-scale war

At least 1,010 soldiers from the Russian military’s 20th Motorized Rifle Division alone have gone AWOL since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to a new report from the outlet iStories.

Many of these deserters have not tried to hide or flee the country, instead returning to their families and living at their registered addresses. In court, they often explain that they left the front to care for relatives or “help with housework” but intended to return. iStories reports that these soldiers are frequently given probation, making it easier to redeploy them to the front.

Deserters from the 20th Division who spoke to journalists described it as one of the worst in the Russian army due to the treatment of servicemen. In the division’s 255th Regiment, a third of all soldiers were reportedly killed or injured in the first three months of the invasion. By late summer 2022, about a quarter of the division’s troops — around 500 people — had died, according to one former soldier.