Over 8,000 Ukrainian AWOL soldiers return, 3,000 in one week

The head of the Department of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in the Defense Sector, Saiyan Sievak reported the information.

He reminded that a law had been passed in Ukraine stipulating that soldiers who return from AWOL (absent without leave) by January 1, 2025, will be eligible for all social benefits.

According to Sievak, over 8,000 servicemen have applied and returned to duty. More than 5,000 returned under the law providing exemption from criminal liability, while over 3,000 returned under a different law.

"Since November 29, over 3,000 soldiers have returned to military service under the law that restores social guarantees, benefits, food, financial, and material support," he explained.

Law on returning to service after AWOL

From the beginning of 2022 to September 2024, Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General registered nearly 60,000 criminal cases for AWOL (absence without leave) and around 30,000 cases of desertion.

On Thursday, November 21, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada passed a law allowing voluntary return to service for those who deserted or left military units without permission for the first time.

On November 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law allowing the voluntary return to service of those who were absent without leave (AWOL) or deserted for the first time.

Servicemen who return to their units by January 1, 2025, after leaving service without permission, will be reinstated with all social guarantees.

In November, 6,000 servicemen voluntarily returned to the Armed Forces of Ukraine after leaving their units without permission.