In Poltava, a court acquitted a soldier of charges related to nearly 20 months of unauthorized absence from military service

The Kyiv District Court of Poltava exempted a mobilized serviceman from criminal liability after he had been absent from his unit without permission for nearly 20 months, since he voluntarily returned to duty and received approval from his new commander.

The man served as a rifleman and left his unit without permission on October 27, 2024. He remained in hiding until June 24, 2026, after which he voluntarily reported to one of the military units. Proceedings were initiated against him under Part 5 of Article 407 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine; however, during the investigation, the soldier appealed to the prosecutor to reinstate him to duty and provided written consent from the commander of another unit, who agreed to accept him.

Taking into account his sincere remorse, the fact that this was his first offense, and his desire to defend the country, the court granted the motion of the Luhansk Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Defense Matters and dismissed the case pursuant to Part 5 of Article 401 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The man was ordered to report to his new unit within 72 hours, and the unit’s command was ordered to reinstate the soldier to active duty and ensure the payment of his salary and other benefits.

Source: court ruling.

Earlier, an unemployed resident of Volyn was sentenced to six months in prison for refusing to report for military service during mobilization.

A court imposed a preventive measure of nighttime house arrest on three members of the Kyiv City Council. They are facing charges of evading military service.