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Missing in action: Ukrainian soldiers desert during Germany training

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · · 355 words · By Nela Heidner
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What to know about Missing in action: Ukrainian soldiers desert during Germany training

As the war in Ukraine grinds on, Ukrainian soldiers are receiving military training in Germany.

Claims checked 8
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center83%
Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

As the war in Ukraine grinds on, Ukrainian soldiers are receiving military training in Germany.

Why it matters

A recent investigation by the weekly news magazine Die Zeit reveals that some do not return to their units after their stay in Germany.

Common ground

In Saxony-Anhalt, the interior ministry is aware of around 80 cases and across Germany, there are said to be hundreds of such incidents of Ukrainian troops deserting after completing their military training.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/20/missing-in-action-ukrainian-soldie…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
verified
Claim 1: “Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, around 29,000 Ukrainian soldiers have undergone training in Germany, according to the Bundeswehr.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence includes general information about the Bundeswehr and German military history, but no specific figure regarding the number of Ukrainian soldiers trained (e.g., 29,000) is present in the search results.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Bundeswehr (German: [ˈbʊndəsˌveːɐ̯] , lit. Federal Defence) are the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Bundeswehr is divided into a military part (armed forces or Streitkräfte) a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundeswehr
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This page contains a list of equipment currently in service with the German Army. Concerning equipment that has recently been adopted or is in the process of being adopted, this list here somewhat ove…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_modern_equipment_of_th…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — During the Cold War, divided Germany had been a center of activity for the Soviet intelligence service, the KGB. It worked closely with the Ministry of State Security of the GDR and had a huge center …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_espionage_in_Germany
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “Under the decision, only people who have already completed their military service in Ukraine or are exempt from it are to benefit from the simplified admission rules.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that exceptions to the new rules apply only to those who have already completed military service or are exempt from it.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the People's Republic of China stated that it respects Ukraine's sovereignty but Russia's opposition to the enlargement of NATO shou…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_and_the_Russo-Ukrainian_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine received widespread international condemnation, leading to new sanctions being imposed on Russia, which triggered a Russian financial crisis. Reactions among gover…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_and_intergovernment…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — International relations between the European Union (EU) and Ukraine are shaped through the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). Ukraine …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine–European_Union_relatio…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “This [exclusion of military-age men] was done at the request of the Ukrainian government.”
CORROBORATED
Sources explicitly state that the move to exclude military-age men from the protection scheme was done 'at Kyiv's request'.
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web search NEUTRAL — EU moves to bar newly arriving military-age Ukrainian men from refuge. The European Commission proposes extending Ukrainians' protection to 2028 while shutting out newly arriving men aged 23-60, at Ky…
https://status.lu/article/eu-military-age-ukrainian-men-temp…
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web search NEUTRAL — Main pointsThe EU is considering limiting temporary protection for men of military age from Ukraine.The current scheme runs until March 2027 and covers 4.33 million Ukrainians.
https://ukranews.com/en/news/1155233-eu-mulls-tightening-tem…
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web search NEUTRAL — The European Commission said the move was intended to reflect Ukraine’s “evolving defense needs.” Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called on EU member states to help return military-age men. As cas…
https://rtrunews.com/news/643271-germany-to-deny-ukrainian-m…
info
Claim 4: “As proof, a stamp in the passport or an official certificate will in future be required, showing that the person’s departure from Ukraine was lawful or that they are exempt from military service.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of generic US passport renewal information and does not mention the specific requirement for a passport stamp or official certificate for Ukrainian soldiers' EU admission.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — If you are an adult and already have a passport, you may be eligible to renew it online or by mail. You can also correct information in your passport or report it lost or stolen.
https://travel.state.gov/en/passports.html
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web search NEUTRAL — You need a passport to travel to most countries outside the U.S. Learn how to apply for a passport in person, check your application status, and get it changed or corrected.
https://www.usa.gov/passport
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web search NEUTRAL — Make appointments for new passport applications and passport photo services, and learn how to renew passports by mail or online.
https://www.usps.com/international/passports.htm
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Claim 5: “In Saxony-Anhalt, the interior ministry is aware of around 80 cases [of Ukrainian troops deserting after completing their military training]”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results specifically mention that around 80 cases of desertion were reported in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Halle (Saale), or simply Halle (German pronunciation: [ˈhalə] ), is the second largest city of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is the sixth-most populous city in the area of former East Germany …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halle_(Saale)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Magdeburg ( MAG-də-burg, German: [ˈmakdəbʊʁk] , locally [ˈmaχdəbʊɐ̯ç]; Low Saxon: Meideborg [ˈmaˑɪ̯debɔɐ̯x]) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdeburg
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Events in the year 2026 in Germany.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_Germany
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 6: “EU member states agreed in Brussels to exclude men of military age from a scheme granting an automatic right to protection in the EU.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (status.lu, other web results) report that the EU is moving to bar or limit temporary protection for newly arriving military-age Ukrainian men.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Feb 14, 2022 · In trying to find a better solution the second time around, what does everyone use for keeping track of their collection in 2022, preferably something with a price fred and some sort of…
https://www.reddit.com/r/mtgfinance/comments/sslhdr/best_col…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 19, 2023 · Collectr doesn't scan that I know of, but you can search individual cards and add them to a portfolio, and it monitors value
https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonTCG/comments/14dj35b/questio…
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web search NEUTRAL — A subreddit for the Collectr app, a tracker for amount and value of collectable cards.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Collectr/
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Claim 7: “A recent investigation by the weekly news magazine Die Zeit reveals that some [Ukrainian soldiers] do not return to their units after their stay in Germany.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources confirm that Die Zeit conducted an investigation revealing that Ukrainian soldiers have deserted during training in Germany.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Between the last hours of 4 August 2026 and the early hours of 5 August 2026, two incidents involving unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) occurred at Leipzig/Halle Airport, Saxony, Germany. The first inci…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Leipzig_Airport_drone_att…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party has been positioning itself for years in favor of close cooperation with Russia, while the European Union is viewed with skepticism or even hostility.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AfD_pro-Russia_movement
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Die Linke ([diː ˈlɪŋkə]; lit. 'The Left'), also known as the Left Party (German: Linkspartei, pronounced [ˈlɪŋkspaʁˌtaɪ] ), is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The party was founded …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Linke
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 8: “across Germany, there are said to be hundreds of such incidents of Ukrainian troops deserting after completing their military training.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the desertion in Saxony-Anhalt is corroborated, the specific claim that there are 'hundreds' of such incidents across Germany is only mentioned in the context of the Die Zeit investigation and not independently corroborated by other news organizations in the provided evidence.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — It continued in a limited form after the establishment of Hetman of Ukraine Pavlo Skoropadskyi's Ukrainian State, known as the [Second] Hetmanate. The national armed forces continued to develop.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_Forces_of_Ukraine
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web search NEUTRAL — As the war in Ukraine grinds on, Ukrainian soldiers are receiving military training in Germany. A recent investigation by the weekly news magazine Die Zeit reveals that some do not return to their uni…
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/20/missing-in-act…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Ukrainian army, 60th Brigade, Ukrainian mobilization, desertion, training in Germany, captured soldier, Krasny Liman, frontline orders, military equipment, combat pay.
https://voennoedelo.com/en/posts/id12484-ukrainian-troops-de…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.