Las go through especially in the infantry, with the aim of resisting a Russian army superior in numbers. Given this scenario, some units have chosen to offer a new opportunity to soldiers who in the past left their posts.
According to data from the prosecutor’s office, from the beginning of 2022 Nearly 95,000 criminal investigations have been opened related to military personnel absent without leave and desertion, considered the most serious infraction in a combat context.
The increase in cases has been notable as the war progresses: almost two thirds of the total are concentrated in 2024. The loss of tens of thousands of troops, whether through casualties or injuries, poses a critical challenge for Ukraine, which has limited human resources.
To counteract this problem, some units have begun to accept back those who were classified as absent without leave (AWOL) in the past.
Among these units, the elite 47th Brigade of Ukraine stands out, which published on its social networks an invitation addressed to soldiers who had left the serviceinviting them to reintegrate.
“Our goal is to give every soldier the opportunity to return and develop their potential”read the brigade’s announcement. In the next two days, they received more than a hundred applications.
“Was an avalanche of requestsso many that we still cannot process them all before new ones arrive,” explained Viacheslav Smirnov, head of recruitment for the brigade, two weeks after the invitation was published.
Two military units consulted by Reuters confirmed that they are only readmitting soldiers who They abandoned their positions at the basesleaving out those who deserted in the middle of combat.
Within the Ukrainian armed forces, absences without leave are seen as a lesser offense. A recent law has relaxed the consequences of a first absenceallowing these soldiers to rejoin service.
