More than 7,000 soldiers return to service after arbitrarily leaving – SBI
More than 7,000 military personnel voluntarily returned to service after arbitrarily leaving the unit, almost 4,000 of them have already been assigned to military units, the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) told Interfax-Ukraine.
"After the adoption of the Law (which allows military personnel who committed crimes for the first time to return to service and avoid criminal liability), more than 7,000 military personnel who voluntarily left their units returned to the army," the SBI said in response to the agency's request.
The Bureau also informed that more than half of those who returned - 4,396 - have already been officially reinstated in military service.
"Some 3,873 military personnel have already been assigned to military units. For the rest, the process of resuming and closing criminal proceedings is still underway," the SBI stressed.
The statistics provided by the SBI relate to data for the late 2024.
The law, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada at the end of November 2024, provides an opportunity for those military personnel, who arbitrarily left their units for the first time, to return to service, avoiding criminal liability. On January 9, 2025, the Verkhovna Rada extended the validity of this Law until March 1, 2025.
According to the law, the commander of a military unit, no later than 72 hours from the date of the military's arrival at the unit, continues the validity of the contract or service, as well as resumes the payment of monetary, food, clothing and other types of support.
The benefits and social guarantees established by the state are renewed for military personnel. In addition, the commander (chief) of the military unit undertakes to inform the pretrial investigation body and the Military Law Enforcement Service about the arrival of the military and the extension of service. After that, the procedure for closing the case against the fighter begins.