Ukrainian Domestic — 2026-08-03

Over 100,000 Ukrainian Soldiers Went AWOL as Defense Ministry Expands Voluntary Return Program With Choice of Unit

BLUFExpanding unit choices for 100,000-plus AWOL soldiers buys short-term manpower recovery but leaves the rotation and fatigue drivers intact, ensuring desertion rates resume climbing after the September deadline passes.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry expanded its voluntary return program for soldiers absent without leave (SZCh) to more than 70 units across the Armed Forces, National Guard, and State Special Transport Service 12. Deputy Defense Minister Mstyslav Banik said returning soldiers can choose their service direction, unit, position, and commander, applying prior experience, and cited drivers, UAV operators, clerks, and riflemen as needed roles 12. The program, launched in June, covers unauthorized absences recorded through June 12 and accepts reports through September 20 via the Army+ app, direct application to a unit, or recruitment centers, and guarantees no involuntary transfer for six months after enrollment 12. Euromaidan Press reported the cumulative AWOL total has surpassed 100,000, citing 51,000 cases in 2024 alone, more than double the prior year, with fatigue as a cited driver 3.

Analysis
The program's practical effect is scale: expanding eligible units past 70 and letting returnees pick position and commander removes the main deterrent to voluntary reporting, unauthorized-absence status without a legal exit ramp. Reporting will track toward the September 20 deadline rather than build steadily, since soldiers weighing the six-month no-transfer guarantee face a hard cutoff. The scheme addresses inflow but does nothing to reduce the underlying fatigue driving departures, so aggregate AWOL totals will continue climbing through the reporting window even as this program pulls some soldiers back into formal units.

3 sources