Yeah, well, it's not just to let the treadheads save face, it keeps Kiev in the dark.
Kiev probably lists them as MIA because since Kiev refuses to admit it's a civil war civil war with two organized forces opposing one another, they're never going to go along with exchanging information about prisoners and so on unless that requirement is imposed on them by outsiders. At any rate, being MIA is a good thing from the point of view of those who do change sides.
If the Kiev Coup Kiddies know for sure someone deserted more than likely their families in other parts of Ukraine would be questioned about where their sympathies lie and probably still be suspect no matter how the questioning turned out.
OK, I’ll ignore the term “treadhead”. Mainly because the first thing I learned in the tanks is, never maneuver without the infantry right there with you (Dad was infantry in WWII, I respect the infantry above all others). Tanks cannot survive without infantry with their many additional eyes & antitank weapons.
If the infantry is riding on your tank, filling in the blanks between tanks either on foot or in APCs, you’ve got a chance. The two need each other.
I don’t know whether there have been any classic combined arms shootouts between Ukrainian & Russian forces yet. Are you aware of any?