From November 2024 to February 2025, 21,100 people who previously voluntarily left the service returned to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. About this reported State Bureau of Investigation.
According to the SDB, the return of the military was facilitated by changes to the Law “On Military Duty and Military Service”, which allow servicemen to return to service after the first case of voluntary desertion.
The law, known as “on the first SZCH”, was adopted on November 21, 2024, and signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on November 29. Since then, military personnel have been given the opportunity to return to the Armed Forces after voluntarily leaving the service without punishment, subject to the approval of the command. Initially, the Verkhovna Rada set the deadline for the return to January 1, but later extended it to March 1, 2025.
The SBI states that most fighters have returned to the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and a significant part of the military has resumed service in the National Guard and the State Border Guard Service.
