Military Prosecutors appeal to soldiers who have left the place of service without official leave

The appeal of the Chief Military Prosecutor’s Office to soldiers who have left the place of service without official leave

Recently, the media have been spreading false information about the persecution of a large number of soldiers who have participated in the ATO.

The Chief Military Prosecutor’s Office explains and informs 
that all criminal proceedings on absences without official leave are registered only on the basis of written reports of military unit command in accordance with the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Absence without official leave (AWOL) 
(Article 407 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) is a complete crime starting from the moment of leaving the military unit and continuing throughout the period until the offender is detained by the police or reports with confession.

Hiding from the investigation, a soldier can not avoid criminal responsibility for a committed war crime. Moreover, continuing his unlawful conduct, that person only aggravates his guilt and creates a situation which in the future may make it impossible to use more lenient punishment 
than that prescribed by law or exemption from criminal liability.

On the contrary, reporting to the police with confession, repentance or active assistance in detecting a crime is considered extenuating circumstances and must necessarily be taken into account by public prosecutor and the court in rendering judgment (Article 66 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). 

 
 
Persistent avoidance of responsibility significantly aggravates the guilt of such people, leads to the classification of their actions under other part of the said article of the Code and, consequently, entails a more severe punishment.

Military prosecutors appeal to all soldiers, 
who have left military unit or place of service without official leave, with an offer to take the chance to return to normal life and voluntarily report to the nearest military prosecutor’s office with confession 
and explanation of the reason for AWOL. In this case, 
in the absence of serious consequences or cases of committing other crimes, imposition of a pre-trial restraint in the form of detention 
will not be initiated.

If you have any questions or information, please contact:

0312-61-76-64; 03122-3-62-49 (Uzhgorod Garrison Military Prosecutor’s Office, 88000, Transcarpathian region,  Uzhgorod, Braschayky st., 2 P.O. box 10c).