Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Ukraine's chief of defense estimate Wednesday that 200,000 soldiers have gone absent without official leave during an address to parliament.
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said another 2 million Ukrainians are wanted for dodging the country's draft in addition to the 200,000 who have gone AWOL.
The update from Fedorov comes as the four-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine approaches in February.
"I don't want to be a populist -- I want to be a realist," Fedorov said. "The Ministry of Defense is coming into my hands with a [$6.7 million] shortfall, two million Ukrainians who are wanted and 200,000 who are AWOL."
Related
