Deserters and those who have left their units without permission (AWOL) have been allowed to return to service without punishment. In at least one instance, a man returned from abroad to take advantage of this opportunity, as reported by the State Border Guard Service.
Recently, representatives of the Romanian Border Police informed their Ukrainian counterparts that a person was moving towards the state border with Ukraine near the area of responsibility of the "Porubne" checkpoint. A border patrol from the Chernivtsi border detachment proceeded in that direction and shortly after detained a man who crossed the state border illegally, entering Ukraine from Romania.
The detained individual was identified as a citizen of Ukraine and a resident of Vinnytsia region. He stated that he is a serviceman of one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"At the beginning of October this year, he left his place of service without permission and illegally crossed the state border. However, he later learned that his brother had been mobilized into the army and decided to return to continue defending the country together. The serviceman took advantage of the opportunity to avoid punishment for leaving his military unit and to resume service. Recently, such an opportunity has been provided for under Article 401 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine," the message states.
The State Border Guard Service also informed that materials have been prepared regarding an administrative offense against the detained individual, but it does not specify under which article. It is likely that this pertains to violations of border crossing rules.
Deserters Allowed to Return to Service
As reported by UNIAN, on November 21, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on voluntary return to service. This law applies to those who have left their units for the first time or have deserted. On November 28, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed the law.
Senior officer of the psychological support unit of the 68th separate mountain assault brigade, Roman Horodetsky believes that more than half of the servicemen who left their units without permission (AWOL) may return to the army. According to him, the law passed by the Verkhovna Rada addressing the issue of AWOL will improve the situation regarding the return of those soldiers who previously left their units.
Additionally, Horodetsky noted that the increase in cases of AWOL in 2024 can be attributed to the more critical situation at the front, with people being extremely exhausted and in need of rest, although not all brigades can afford this.