According to the website of the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada), the bill was signed into law on Nov. 28, having been passed by the Rada on Nov. 21.
The amended legislation states that criminal proceedings for going AWOL or desertion can be dropped if the person voluntarily returns to their military unit, provided it was their first such infraction. Under the new procedure, they would not be discharged, and their service contracts would remain in force.
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, nearly 90,000 cases of unauthorized absence and desertion have been opened since the beginning of the war.
On Oct. 31, the State Bureau of Investigations reported that courts issued about 100 decisions regarding the reinstatement of service members who had left their posts for the first time without permission.