The Da Vinci Battalion, which is fighting near the city of Pokrovsk, is one of several units suffering a severe shortage of soldiers.
The equipment and manpower we have are barely enough to hold the sector we have now, the battalion's deputy commander, who goes by the name "Afer", tells the AP news agency.
In Ukraine, all men between the ages of 25 and 60 can be called up for military service. But the pool is steadily shrinking, not least because many have died in the war, which is now in its fifth year.
Inadequate training
Ukraine's military is trying to replace its losses, but about two million men are avoiding mobilization, according to the AP. Some are being detained after being found on the streets of Ukrainian cities by military recruitment patrols. In addition, about 200,000 soldiers are said to have deserted - and thus risk up to 12 years in prison.
Inadequate training and exhaustion are two reasons soldiers desert, according to soldiers and military analysts.
The consequences are being felt directly at the front, where soldiers are exhausted. The Da Vinci Battalion is currently fighting with only about half its full strength. At the same time, the area for which the battalion is responsible has doubled.
Advancing would inevitably mean greater losses, says "Afer."
There are large differences between units, according to Lieutenant Colonel Joakim Paasikivi. Units with the worst equipment and the worst leaders also have the most deserters.
"People are prepared to make great sacrifices at the risk of their own lives. But no one wants to die unnecessarily because of a bad boss," says Joakim Paasikivi, senior geopolitical advisor at Mannheimer Swartling, to TT.
Increased soldier salaries
Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wanted to strengthen the units that were working well and close the weaker ones. His successor, Yevheniy Chmara, has said he wants to continue those reforms.
Last summer, Zelenskyy presented a plan that included increased soldier salaries and clear time limits for military contracts. It also promised an amnesty of at least six months before demobilized soldiers could be forced to serve again. The question is whether it will solve the problems.
"I think it is wrong to see it as if reforms are coming that will solve everything. This is a continuous process," says Paasikivi.
