OREANDA-NEWS  In Kharkiv, there has been a significant increase in desertions in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). This was reported in the Russian law enforcement agencies, TASS reports.

"The Ukrainian criminal chronicle confirms that the number of deserters who escaped from the Armed Forces units with weapons has increased significantly in Kharkiv," the agency's source said.

According to TASS, since the beginning of the year, more than 80,000 military personnel have deserted in this direction.

Earlier, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine deployed consolidated assault groups of units of the 3rd Army Corps (AK) near Kharkov, formed on the basis of the 3rd separate brigade and led by the founder of the Azov battalion (banned in Russia as a terrorist organization) Andrei Biletsky (included in the list of terrorists and extremists of Rosfinmonitoring).