The Ukrainian Parliament supported the law on exemption from responsibility for the first desertion or voluntary abandonment of the unit

The Verkhovna Rada adopted draft law No. 11322 as a basis, which proposes to decriminalize desertion and voluntary desertion (SZH), if it is committed for the first time.

Peopleʼs deputy Iryna Gerashchenko informed about this.

The draft law proposes to amend the Criminal Code so that, during martial law, military personnel who have deserted for the first time or voluntarily left a unit may be exempted from liability if they voluntarily return to their duty station.

At the same time, the commander of his military unit must also agree to the return of a soldier to service. Such consent must be in writing, it is provided to the prosecutor, and he can already petition the court for the release of the military officer from responsibility.

If the court decides to release him from liability, then from the day of his return to military service, cash payments and benefits that have been suspended will be resumed. At the same time, he will not be paid money during his absence from the service.

In addition, if the serviceman was taken into custody before the case was closed, he will be able to get out of custody and immediately return to duty. Current legislation does not allow this.

In the explanatory note, it is noted that only in January-April of this year, 10,584 criminal proceedings under the article on the SZH and 7,306 proceedings for desertion were registered.