In the beginning of the war - over 3 years ago - there were huge numbers of Russian soldiers that defected to Ukraine but Russia reported them as casualties. As far as I know these numbers have never been corrected.
Young Russian men were drafted and sent to Ukraine with little training and sub-standard equipment. (They were told it would be over in a couple of weeks!) Those draftees didn't want to fight Ukraine but they couldn't go home again, so they defected. As far as we know, this is still happening.
Putin doesn't want the Russian people to know about the defections, for fear that other soldiers will get the same idea. So many Russian families are grieving for sons that aren't dead, they're just waiting out the war in Ukraine prisons. It's crazy.
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