By Aila Slisco
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The Russian military is facing a wave of deserting soldiers as the country's 21-month war in Ukraine drags on.
Idite Lesom, a Georgia-based group that aids troops attempting to leave Russian President Vladimir Putin's army, told The Moscow Times in an article published on Tuesday that it had experienced an 89 percent increase in requests for assistance over the past few months.
Grigory Sverdlin, founder and leader of Idite Lesom, told the outlet that most soldiers who decide to desert make their decision after being wounded in battle and treated in Russian hospitals. A total of 577 soldiers made requests from September to November.
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The group—whose name translates from Russian to "go through the forest" but is more commonly used as a curse phrase equivalent to "go f*** yourself," according to *The Guardian—*said that 305 requests had been received in the previous three-month period, from June to August.
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Newsweek reached out for comment to the Russian Ministry of Defense via email on Tuesday.
Sergei Krivenko, director of human rights group Citizen, Army, Rights, told The Moscow Times that war-weary Russian troops were realizing that their prospects for being rotated out of service were increasingly slim one year after Putin mobilized reservists.
"A year has passed since the beginning of mobilization," Krivenko said. "If some people still had hopes that they could go home after a certain period of service, there are no such illusions now."
"Servicemen see that there is no rotation, that even seriously wounded men are sent back to the front after being hospitalized," he added.
Most of the Russian deserters assisted by Idite Lesom have made their move away from the front lines, where they face often harsh conditions and additional challenges in escaping the military.
Difficulties remain for those who attempt to flee from within Russia, particularly in finding a way to leave the country, as Putin signed an order in June that requires troops to quickly surrender their passports after being drafted.
The Ukrainian military has also recently claimed that an increasing number of Russian troops are deciding to leave the service, with some making their escape through Kyiv's "I Want to Live" program.
Ukraine said earlier this year that thousands of Russian soldiers had called the project's hotline with requests to surrender. Millions of others have contacted the hotline, with the vast majority of requests coming from within Russia.
Low morale among Russian troops has been commonplace since the Ukraine invasion was launched on February 24, 2022. In addition to troops attempting to flee the military, recent reports have suggested that insubordination may be increasing among those who opt to remain in the service.
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