Between November 29, 2024 and March 1, 2025, 21 100 servicemen returned to service from AWOL. This was made possible by a law decriminalizing first-time desertion and desertion.
This is reported by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).
The period during which servicemen who voluntarily left a military unit or place of service could voluntarily return to the army without liability for AWOL expired on March 1.
The largest number of fighters returned to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and military personnel also actively returned to the National Guard and Border Guard Service.
How to return from AWOL after March 1
The State Bureau of Investigation explained how to return from AWOL after March 1. If it is an AWOL of up to three days, then a criminal case will not be opened against the fighters, they will be able to return to service.
If itʼs about an AWOL lasting more than three days, then there are several options for the development of events.
If a soldier has left the unit without permission for the first time and wants to return to service, a criminal case will be opened against him. The soldier must personally or through the "Army+" application contact the commander of the military unit and obtain written consent to continue military service.
After that, you will need to submit a petition to the prosecutor, the pre-trial investigation body (SBI or the National Police of Ukraine), and the court stating your intention to return to military service and provide written consent from your commander.
The materials will be sent to the court to release such a serviceman from criminal liability — there they will make an appropriate decision. After that, the serviceman will provide the commander with the court decision and return to military service.
If this is a case where a fighter has went AWOL again or does not want to return to service, a criminal case will be opened against him. When such a fighter is found, he will be detained and a preventive measure will be chosen for him.
An indictment will be sent to the court regarding the serviceman, after which the court will issue a sentence — for AWOL he faces imprisonment from 5 to 10 years.
- The law, which allowed voluntary return without consequences, came into force at the end of November 2024. If a fighter returned, the commander of the military unit had to 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 Verkhovna Rada voted to extend the deadline for voluntary return to service until March 1, 2025. You can return from AWOL through the "Army+" application.
- According to Opendatabot, in the first 10 months of 2024, 19 922 criminal cases were opened due to desertion — 3.7 times more than in the same period last year. At the same time, only 3% of desertion cases this year were served with suspicion, and in 1.3% the case reached court.
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