High statistics of unauthorized abandonment of military units in 2025 reaches record levels

During the first ten months of 2025, 161,461 criminal proceedings for unauthorized abandonment of a military unit were registered in Ukraine, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office. This is four times more than in the same period last year.

About 16,000 new cases are recorded each month. For example, in 2024, an average of 5,000 such proceedings were registered, and in 2023, about 1.5 thousand. In 2022, only 6 thousand cases were opened under this article.

The growth in the number of new proceedings is happening so quickly that what previously accumulated over a year is now recorded in just two weeks. However, only 9.3 thousand servicemen were suspected, which is approximately 6% of all registered cases, and only 5% of cases were referred to court. In 2022, every fifth such case reached court.

Until August 30, 2025, a simplified mechanism for the return of service members who had voluntarily left their units was in effect, without the need to open proceedings. Service members planning to return could apply and be removed to a reserve unit within 72 hours. However, this opportunity was only available to those who had left service before May 10. Others had to return exclusively to the unit they had left, and the procedure for resuming service could take several months.

Under current legislation, voluntarily leaving a military unit during martial law is punishable by imprisonment for 5 to 10 years.