Already 80 reports in first few days: Ministry of Defence has reported on results of new mechanism for returning soldiers from AWOL
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence has reported initial successes with the new mechanism for the return of servicemen who have left their units without permission (AWOL). In the first few days alone of the so-called ‘return window’, 80 soldiers have already submitted requests to resume service in their units.
This was stated at a press briefing by Mstyslav Banik, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Defence, as quoted by Liga.net, reports Censor.NET.
The first 22 soldiers are already in service
According to Banik, the new simplified mechanism, designed to operate during a 100-day ‘window of opportunity’, came into effect on Saturday. As of now, the agency’s relevant digital services have recorded the following figures:
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Applications submitted: 80 service personnel have officially expressed their wish to take advantage of the scheme and choose their new place of service and commander themselves.
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Approved: 22 reports have already undergone full verification and received the go-ahead from brigade command.
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On the front line: Some of the soldiers have already made use of the time allotted to them and have physically reported for duty at their new military units.
"Our task is not merely to recruit new people and enlist them in the army. Clearly, we need to give people the opportunity to return from the AWOL to the best brigades so that they realise they have the chance to continue their service effectively", Banik emphasised.
Cutting red tape
The Ministry of Defence has explained in detail why the new system has proved attractive to the military. From now on, the process is free from bureaucratic hurdles:
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Servicemen no longer need to contact the Military Law Enforcement Service (MLES) or reserve battalions.
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Once the Ministry of Defence has received an online application from a soldier, it forwards it directly to the brigade. The unit commander promptly confirms that they are ready to accept the applicant.
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Once their application has been approved, service personnel have exactly 72 hours to make their own way to their chosen unit. A dedicated support call centre assists them throughout their journey.
The "eBaly" ranking and list of elite units
More than 50 of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ most effective combat units have now been granted the right to recruit fighters from the AWOL under this programme. This list is not set in stone — it will be updated monthly based on objective internal performance and leadership metrics within the army’s internal ‘eBaly’ assessment programme.
In the first stage, the following units made it into the top 50: the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade (3rd SAB), the 93rd Mechanised Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", the 92nd SAB, as well as the 63rd, 152nd, 95th, and 81st Brigades.
The Ministry of Defence describes the current progress of the reform as "very promising" and predicts that the creation of transparent and fair conditions will enable "tens of thousands" of motivated individuals to be smoothly reintegrated into the Defence Forces.
