Ukraine approves bill allowing voluntary return to service for first-time AWOL

Ukrainian MPs Yaroslav Zheleznyak and Iryna Herashchenko reported the information.

The bill was approved by 253 MPs.

The adopted bill extends the contracts of servicemen who, during martial law, deserted or left their units without permission for the first time, but later voluntarily return and express readiness to continue service.

For such soldiers, the payment of salaries, food, clothing and other types of support, benefits and social guarantees will be resumed.

Iryna Herashchenko clarified, "The unit commander must notify the Military Judicial Council in writing within 72 hours of the servicemen's arrival. However, this is a one-time opportunity for those who went AWOL to return to their unit."

The criminal proceedings initiated against such servicemen for criminal offenses under Articles 407 and 408 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine are not a ground for refusing to extend their military service and the validity of their contract.

MP Oleksandr Fediyenko commented, "If a serviceman returns, the law grants the commander the right to appoint him, issue orders, and provide financial support. However, trials will continue, and the cases may or may not be closed. The judicial system is overloaded, and decisions can take 2 to 6 months." This was shared with Espreso correspondent Tetiana Holunova at the Verkhovna Rada.

He added that the bill will remain in effect until January 1 and apply to all servicemen who return to military units before that date.

He added, "After January 1, the law, which allows soldiers return to their units and be put on payroll and receive a salary, will no longer apply. The previous legal proceedings will apply."

MP Iryna Friz noted that the European Solidarity faction did not support the draft law in the first reading, as the initial version, in her view, legalized AWOL. However, several amendments were made for the second reading.

“The law is temporary, meaning that everyone who is currently AWOL has the right to return to military service before January 1, 2025. The criminal procedures against those who went AWOL will continue in parallel and will be resolved either through a court decision or other established procedures. The law is now in effect and serves as a signal to all those currently AWOL that they can return to military service, recover, and receive the full financial support they had before going AWOL. Therefore, the draft law adopted by the Verkhovna Rada today differs from the version in the first reading, as it genuinely provides an opportunity for a significant number of individuals who went AWOL to resume military service," said Iryna Friz.

From the beginning of 2022 to September 2024, Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General registered almost 60,000 criminal proceedings on AWOL and about 30,000 on desertion.