Increased Number of Desertion Cases Among Ukrainian Military - Head of Supreme Court.

Increase in Unauthorized Absence from Military Units

The Head of the Supreme Court, Stanislav Kravchenko, noted an increase in cases of unauthorized absence from military units, desertion, and disobedience of commanders' orders. He pointed out that these figures have not yet been analyzed, but the trend is indeed significant.

The Head of the Supreme Court did not provide specific figures but mentioned that the statistical data appearing in the media might be slightly exaggerated compared to the real situation.

According to the approved law No. 11322, military personnel who leave their units for the first time unauthorized may be exempted from criminal liability. A written consent from the unit commander is required to return to service.

However, despite this, there have been cases where military personnel who left the unit unauthorized decided to return to the front.

The example of the Yavoriv district court in Lviv region shows that even when desiring to continue service, military personnel may be prosecuted under criminal law.

Serhii Hnezdilov, who served in a motorized infantry brigade, left the unit unauthorized to draw attention to the problem of the absence of established service terms and the duty to defend the state in accordance with the Constitution.