Serviceman Serhiy Hnezdilov, who publicly went AWOL, will be released from custody. He will return to service

Serviceman Serhiy Hnezdilov, who publicly went AWOL on September 19, 2024, will be released from custody — he will be cleared of criminal liability.

This was confirmed to Babel by his lawyer Anastasia Burkovska.

In three days he is due to return to duty as a UAV operator.

What preceded this

Serhiy Hnezdilov is a 24-year-old serviceman who joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2019. His three-year contract was due to expire in March 2022.

All these years he fought in the 56th Mariupol Motorized Infantry Brigade. On September 19, 2024, Hnezdilov went AWOL and two days later publicly announced this on Facebook. He explained that he wanted to draw attention to the problem when some fight indefinitely, while others do not plan to mobilize.

Already on October 9, Hnezdilov was detained. The next day, he was suspected of desertion. He was taken into military custody on October 11.

An interview with Serhiy was published on the Babel YouTube channel, where we voiced the accusations and arguments of different sides. Here are the main points of the conversation, be sure to watch the full version.

• The law, which allows voluntary return without consequences, came into force at the end of November 2024. If a fighter returns, the commander of the military unit must extend the contract or service within 3 days, as well as resume the payment of cash, food, material and other types of support.
• On January 9, the Rada voted to extend the deadline for voluntary return to service until March 1, 2025. You can return from AWOL through the "Army+" application.

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