Since the start of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, 46 Ukrainian military personnel have gone abroad on furlough and never returned.
This is evidenced by the data of the Main Directorate of the Military Law and Order Service and the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported at the request of Slidstvo.Info.
The Main Directorate of the Military Law and Order Service says that servicemen can cross the border on general grounds, and authorized officials let them through.
In addition, military personnel do not have a time limit on vacation, and in order to leave, they only need to obtain the permission of the commander of the military unit to leave for another country.
The Ministry of Defense said that from February 24, 2022 to September 30, 2024, 46 cases were recorded when servicemen did not return to Ukraine after vacationing abroad. Such servicemen are considered to have voluntarily left military units. The agency did not report cases of violation of the law when crossing the border.
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