The Ukrainian parliament in the first reading adopted as a basis a draft law on desertion, which during martial law does not suspend military service for first-time servicemen who left military units for 72 hours, Ukrainian MP Iryna Gerashchenko said.
“The Verkhovna Rada adopted as a basis (in the first reading – ed.) amendments to part two of Article 24 of the law of Ukraine “On military duty and military service”. They are proposed that military service is not suspended for servicemen who left military units unauthorized or deserted,” – wrote Gerashchenko in her Telegram-channel, while
added that this norm actually legalizes desertion.
She noted that servicemen who voluntarily return to service within 72 hours will be able to renew their contract and receive all appropriate payments and social guarantees. The bill, according to Gerashchenko, has huge corruption risks, as the deserter will actually be charged security for the period of his absence from the unit.
According to the explanatory note to the bill, published on the website of the Rada, it is specified that we are talking about deserters who for the first time left military units or places of service unauthorized.
Earlier, the lawyer of the Ukrainian center of support for veterans and their families Roman Likhachev said that since 2022 in Ukraine recorded more than 100 thousand cases of unauthorized abandonment of the unit.
Ukrainian TV channel “Novosti.Live” with reference to Ukrainian political and public figure Oles Donia reported on August 23 that 37 thousand cases of desertion and unauthorized abandonment of units have been recorded in Ukraine this year, which is four times more than in 2022. Verkhovna Rada deputy Ruslan Horbenko earlier reported that more than 80,000 criminal cases have been opened against Ukrainian military personnel for AWOL or refusal to participate in combat.
In Ukraine since February 24, 2022 martial law regime was introduced, the next day Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on general mobilization. The departure from Ukraine of men aged 18 to 60 years for the period of martial law is prohibited. Evasion from military service during mobilization in the country is punishable by criminal liability in the form of imprisonment for up to five years.