‘I just don’t want to kill or die’: Die Zeit reports that dozens of Ukrainian soldiers deserted during training in Germany

Die Zeit reports dozens of Ukrainian soldiers have deserted during training in Germany, including roughly 80 cases in Saxony-Anhalt alone. One case detailed is Volodymyr Shulgin, a former pianist forcibly conscripted by a patrol in January 2026, who deserted after being struck by a sergeant and threatened by a Ukrainian officer following a medical complaint.

Other deserters cited abusive commanders, desire to reunite with family in the EU, or simple refusal to kill or be killed. Most, according to Die Zeit, lack the money to hire lawyers to fight mobilization and don't qualify for exemptions granted to 1.3 million workers in critical fields.

Their legal status in Germany is uncertain since standard refugee protections don't cover deserters from military territory, leaving asylum as the only slim path to staying. Die Zeit cites estimates of at least 60,000 desertions from Ukraine's army since 2022, with more than 2 million men inside Ukraine currently evading conscription.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.