How service members can return to duty after an absence without leave (AWOL)
In a question-and-answer format, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine explains the current options available for service members to return to duty after an absence without leave (AWOL).
If a service member wishes to return to duty after an absence without leave (AWOL), where should they go and what steps should they take?
A service member may contact the Military Law Enforcement Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Military Police), specifically:
- the Central Directorate of the Law Enforcement Service (Military Police) in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, as well as territorial directorates;
- Regional Military Law Enforcement Service (Military Police) units.
A list of contact phone numbers is available here.
Military Law Enforcement Service (Military Police) units provide service members with information on available units, including reserve battalions, to which they may return for continued service. There, a service member is then issued a travel order directing them to one of the designated reserve battalions.
A service member may also report directly to a reserve battalion. A list of such reserve battalions can be obtained from the Military Police unit.
Can a service member return to duty after an absence without leave (AWOL) through the Army+ app?
Yes, this procedure remains valid.
A service member may submit the relevant report via the Army+ app to return to military service.
Military Law Enforcement Service (Military Police) units process these reports and then direct service members to one of the reserve battalions.
In particular, following the receipt of the report, the Military Law Enforcement Service (Military Police) organizes:
- Coordination with the service member who submitted the report; verification and clarification of the service member's personal data and the documents required for resumption of military service;
- Coordination with the command of the reserve battalion;
- Arrangements for the transfer or escort of the service member to the reserve battalion.
Following confirmation in the Army+ application, the service member has 24 hours to report to the relevant Military Law Enforcement (Military Police) authority, receive a travel order, and deploy to the reserve battalion.
At the reserve unit, the service member is enrolled and added to the reserve battalion’s personnel list.
Can a service member return to the unit of their choice after an absence without leave (AWOL) if they have a recommendation letter?
Yes, this is possible.
Under the personnel movement and assignment procedures of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, recommendation letters from combat brigades in need of personnel are still accepted and taken into account.
However, during the transfer process, reserve battalion commanders do not consider recommendation letters issued by support units and direct service members returning after an absence without leave (AWOL) to units identified for priority personnel reinforcement.
Under the overall manning framework of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, combat units are given priority for personnel reinforcement.
What steps are taken after a service member reports to a reserve battalion?
Following a service member’s arrival at a reserve battalion, the battalion commander must, within no more than three days, issue an order adding the service member to the list of temporarily assigned personnel and determining their tasks.
Concurrently, the battalion commander, through law enforcement agencies, clarifies whether the service member’s details have been recorded in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations.
As part of the process, the battalion commander notifies the commander of the military unit in which the service member previously served about the service member’s arrival at the reserve battalion.
Where written consent has been obtained by the service member from the commander of a combat unit identified for priority staffing, the notification specifies the relevant military unit.
Does returning to duty after an absence without leave (AWOL) exempt a service member from criminal liability?
Under Part 5 of Article 401 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, a service member who, for the first time during martial law, commits an AWOL-related offense may be exempted from criminal liability by Ukraine’s criminal procedural legislation.
For this purpose, the service member is required to submit a report and obtain written consent from the commander of the military unit (reserve battalion) to continue military service.
The service member must also formally apply to the investigator, prosecutor, or court to declare their intention to return to military service.
The materials for exempting the service member from criminal liability are then submitted to the court, which issues the decision.
What is advisable for a service member to bring when reporting to the Military Police after an absence without leave (AWOL)?
It is recommended that the service member bring military registration documents, a recommendation letter if available, and medical documentation, including the military medical commission’s conclusion.
When a service member is assigned to a reserve battalion, do they receive food, medical care, and service remuneration?
In the reserve battalion, service members receive meal provisions.
On the day the documents are received from the reserve battalion, the commander of the unit from which the service member went absent without leave (AWOL) issues a personnel order confirming the return and reinstating all provisions.
Where may service members with health-related limitations be assigned to serve?
Such service members are assigned to support units or, alternatively, in accordance with a recommendation letter submitted by the service member.
In particular, support units of the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers (enlistment offices) are reinforced with service members who, based on their health status and the conclusion of the military medical commission, are deemed fit for service in support units.