"Dead Souls" in the Armed Forces of Ukraine: Why the army's numbers are rising while there is a shortage of available fighters.

At the beginning of the year, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the size of the army is nearly one million people.

"We have 880 thousand. We have a million-strong army. Meanwhile, around 30 million people are working, or perhaps a bit more. I can't give an exact figure," the President of Ukraine mentioned.

In July, the head of the Main Personnel Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Roman Horbach, reported that during the two summer months, the number of people voluntarily joining the army increased by 3.5 times compared to the period from late 2022 to spring 2024. According to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, mobilization figures have tripled over the year.

He noted that as of September 2024, nearly 3.5 million Ukrainians received an electronic military registration document in "Reserve+", while 230 thousand military personnel utilized electronic services in "Army+".

"Dead Souls" in the Armed Forces: How to Address the Issue

Ukraine boasts an army of nearly a million, yet there is a shortage of personnel at the front, as most servicemen hold rear positions. However, the situation is not that straightforward. Among the rear personnel are those who have never even appeared for duty. This refers to men who purchase a position in a unit; on paper, they are military personnel but are actually at home.

According to Bezuha, the issue of "artificial replenishment" in the Armed Forces is unfortunately widespread, but the Air Forces should be highlighted separately.

"Digitalization and the creation of an electronic military ID may help," the parliament member believes.

To combat such schemes, it's essential to remove "old-timers" from military leadership, she is convinced.

Military expert, retired Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleg Zhdanov emphasized that audits must be conducted in military units. The stories of "dead souls" are often a result of agreements with commanders. Only they can cover for a soldier to allow them to stay home while being counted as present in the unit.

He pointed out that this essentially constitutes evasion of service, where an individual hands their salary card to the commander, who withdraws money from it. Consequently, no one knows where the person is — either on a mission or performing certain tasks.

According to military expert Dmytro Snegirev, such schemes are manifestations of corruption, making it a matter for anti-corruption authorities. He noted that these are not isolated incidents, as military enlistment centers allow for such schemes, indicating a systemic issue.

Meanwhile, lawyer Rostislav Kravets believes that the existence of this problem depends on the specific commander.

He is convinced that to control such situations, military justice needs to be revitalized. It is necessary for military prosecutors and investigators to conduct inspections, visit units, and verify the presence of personnel, ensuring regular payments.

According to the lawyer, it is quite possible to quickly expose a person who is supposedly in the Armed Forces but is actually at home. There are local officers who know who in their area is subject to military service, where they work, and what they do.

"When someone is supposedly in the Armed Forces but is at home, it can be quickly figured out and they can be held accountable, if there is a desire to tackle this issue," he explained, adding that currently, there is no physical ability to combat the problem due to the lack of military justice.

More Rear Personnel than Frontline Fighters: Will This Ratio Change?

Maryana Bezuha noted that up to a third of all Ukrainian military personnel are fighting on the front lines, while the rest are in rear support roles. In her view, corruption and the lack of system reforms are the reasons why this ratio remains unchanged. However, tackling corruption and reforming the army is possible in the near future, and at the very least, a series of fundamental overdue steps should be taken, the deputy concluded.

According to Zhdanov, around 100 thousand military personnel are in the "zero" category, while 200-300 thousand are in the frontline zone. However, the situation where there are more rear personnel is a global issue, he pointed out.

The expert explained that during the Cold War, the U.S. discovered that for one combat soldier, six to seven support personnel were needed. They then began optimizing the operational staffing structure of the army, establishing a minimum ratio of three to one for support personnel. However, even such a ratio is difficult to maintain.

Snegirev noted that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, previously stated the need for an audit of the Defense Forces and the replenishment of combat units with fighters from the rear. However, the number of Defense Forces currently stands at about one million, with a smaller portion at the front line. This raises questions regarding the very nature of staffing and the announced rotation measures, he added.

Recall that on November 26, media reported that during the full-scale invasion, 41 people were dismissed from the Armed Forces through the military medical commission, specifically high-ranking military personnel. In contrast, only one officer returned to service.

On November 25, parliament member Iryna Konstankevych reported on three issues with the mobilization process — a shortage of fighters in the Armed Forces, over a million reserved individuals, and violations in obtaining deferments from conscription.