A court has sentenced a soldier who returned to active duty twice after being wounded

A court in Volyn sentenced a servicemember to five years in prison for leaving his post without authorization on two occasions (SZCH) after participating in combat operations and sustaining injuries. 

The man had been serving under contract since 2020 and, after the start of the full-scale invasion, fought in Donbas, where he sustained his first injury. After being hospitalized and completing his rehabilitation leave in September 2022, he did not return to his military unit and remained at home until January 2024, when he voluntarily reported to the pre-trial investigation authority to express remorse.

Upon returning to active duty, the soldier found himself on the front lines again and sustained a second injury. According to the defendant, after another course of treatment and a short leave, he asked his command to grant him additional time to recover, but received an official refusal and an order to return to the active combat zone. As a result, the soldier decided to desert his unit for a second time, after which he went into hiding from law enforcement until August 2025, when he was detained by representatives of the Military Law Enforcement Service.

During the court hearing, the defendant fully admitted his guilt in the crimes charged. After reviewing the case materials, the court emphasized that deserting the military unit a second time under martial law grossly violates established military service procedures, has an extremely negative impact on overall military discipline, and significantly undermines the authority of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As a result, despite his combat experience and injuries sustained, the panel of judges found the man guilty and sentenced him to a five-year prison term.

This was reported by the regional publication "Volyn News."