A Ukrainian partisan movement operating in the Kherson region has reported a significant wave of desertions among Russian troops, with soldiers refusing combat missions and abandoning their temporary bases, according to the Atesh resistance group.
The Atesh movement, meaning “fire” in Crimean Tartar, has been actively gathering intelligence on Russian operations in southern Ukraine since the invasion began in February 2022.
They have been aiding Ukrainian military forces while organizing local resistance efforts.
In a statement posted on their Telegram channel, Atesh claimed, “Russian soldiers are disappearing en masse in the Kherson region.” While Newsweek cannot independently verify the report, Atesh alleges that Russian troops are refusing to carry out combat duties and are voluntarily leaving their assigned posts.
According to Atesh, some deserters, officially identified as SOCH (similar to AWOL in English), have been found in the occupied territory of Kherson, particularly in the rural settlement of Novooleksiivka, near the Isthmus of Perekop separating Crimea from the mainland.
The group noted that many of these deserters bear multiple tattoos, leading locals to believe they may have a criminal background.
In response to increased desertions, the Russian military is reportedly intensifying efforts to capture Ukrainian partisans providing information on the locations of Russian forces along the Dnieper River. Atesh urged locals to assist in identifying Russian troop movements to drive them out of Ukraine.
The Kherson region has seen little movement on the front lines since Ukraine’s victory in the fall of 2022, when Kyiv’s troops liberated the city of Kherson and surrounding territories on the west bank of the Dnieper River.
Despite the formidable barrier posed by the river, Ukrainian units have established persistent bridgeheads on the east bank, posing a potential threat to Russian-held territory, including Crimea.
