Russian President Vladimir Putin canned five more generals after it was revealed that hundreds, if not thousands, of Russian soldiers deserted their positions early into the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

According to The Hill, state paper Pravda reported the generals and Police Colonel Emil Musin were kicked out by the Putin on Monday.

It claimed the staff shakeup was a standard employee reshuffle, citing state media organization RBC. But the revelation comes as Western leaders confirm Russia has suffered such a loss of top officers and generals that it is simply unprecedented in modern warfare.

“In modern history, there is no situation comparable in terms of the deaths of generals. … Here, on the Russian side, in a two-month period, we’ve seen at least a dozen, if not more, Russian generals killed,” former supreme allied commander of NATO, Retired Adm. James Stavridis, said in a radio interview

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal has viewed military decrees revealing an astonishing amount of soldiers deserted the army, which is struggling with insubordination among those that remain as the invasion drags on and casualties pile up.

Russia is reportedly conflicted on how to punish those who refuse to fight without drawing attention to the issue as it attempts to recruit newbies. Since the country hasn’t formally declared war, there are no legal grounds for criminal charges against deserters.

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