Defense Ministry: Soldiers Equal to Two or Three Brigades Have Returned Under Simplified AWOL Program
Ukraine's Defense Ministry says thousands of service members who left their units without permission have returned under a simplified program. By the ministry's estimate, the number matches the personnel of two to three brigades.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry reports that a simplified program for service members who left their units without authorization has produced a visible result. Thousands of military personnel have gone back to service.
The ministry compares the scale to armed forces formations. By its estimate, the number of those who returned is equivalent to the personnel of two to three brigades.
The report stresses that the soldiers came back to their units specifically under the terms of the simplified program. The initial statement does not give further details on how the program works or exact figures.
Unauthorized abandonment of a unit, known in Ukrainian by the abbreviation SZCh, is one of the problems facing Ukraine's armed forces. The ministry's assessment indicates that the simplified return procedure has allowed some of these soldiers to rejoin their units.
