Soldiers 'stop caring whether they survive' after 40 days on front line, Ukrainian study finds

"A study by Ukraine's military ombudsman found that soldiers deployed for over 40 days on front-line positions develop apathy and "stop caring whether they survive or not," Ombudsman Olha Reshetylova said.
The findings come amid broader concerns over Ukraine's mobilization system, which has
faced persistent challenges in recruitment and rotation during the full-scale war. Ukraine's

military has struggled with manpower shortages and prolonged deployments, with some troops remaining on positions for months due to a lack of replacements.
The research by the Office of the Military Ombudsman indicates that prolonged deployments lead to severe psychological strain, decreasing combat effectiveness.
"Everything beyond 40 days cannot be considered effective," Reshetylova said in an interview to Ukrainska Pravda, adding that commanders should take the findings into account.
She noted that existing regulations limit time on position to 15 days, but the rule is widely ignored, leaving some troops deployed for months or longer without rotation.
"This is a dead norm that no one follows, which in turn means there are effectively no limits," she said.
Reshetylova said her office is preparing proposals for Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi to revise rules governing time spent on front-line positions." KI