Draft bill #12095 of October 4, 2024 

Cosponsors: a group of 10 MPs from the Servant of the People and Batkivshchyna factions with Oleksandr Zavitnevych as the first signatory 

Status: signed by the President 

Who is affected: service members who have departed from their units without authorization, commanders of military units, the Ministry of Defense, the State Bureau of Investigations, and the Military Law Enforcement Service of the AFU 

Summary: 

  • service members who have deserted or abandoned service are allowed to return to duty by January 1, 2025. To do this, they must arrive to a military unit designated by the Ministry of Defense and inform of their intention to continue service. The commander of the military unit will restore their service and contracts within 72 hours after their arrival, providing them with all necessities (food, clothing, etc.) 
  • on the day service is resumed, the commander must send a written notice to the State Bureau of Investigations and the Military Law Enforcement Service of the AFU 
  • if a criminal case has already been opened against the service member for desertion or abandonment, this does not constitute the grounds for refusing them to continue military service or the contract 
  • service members returning to their units will not receive any salary for the time they were absent. Likewise, they will not receive any unissued material, food, or other supplies. Social benefits and guarantees will also not apply for this period. 

What is right: 

  • service members who have departed from their units without authorization will return to service, strengthening the military potential of the state. 

Why this is important: 

In 2024, many service members departed from their units without authorization. From January 2022 to September 2024, nearly 60,000 criminal proceedings were opened for such cases. Moreover, some cases are not recorded, so the actual number of service members who left their units may be higher. To enhance national defense capacity, it is necessary to return at least some of these individuals to service.