"100 Days Until..." – Defense Ministry gives military personnel less than third of year to voluntarily return to active duty from unauthorized abandonment of military unit

Service members who left their units without authorization (deserted) by June 11, 2026, will have the opportunity to voluntarily return to duty within 100 days.

It was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Defense.

The updated mechanism will take effect once the Cabinet of Ministers’ resolution comes into force.

"The state is opening a path back for those who left the service — without reserve battalions, complex bureaucracy, and with the opportunity to independently choose a unit from a specified list," the ministry reported.

It is noted that a servicemember will be able to return within the same structure they left.

To return, they will be able to choose one of 55 units that are the most effective according to the Delta situational awareness system and the "eBaly" system.

The list will be available in the "Army+" app.

"There is no need to contact the previous unit. From the moment the report is submitted until the appointment to the position, the servicemember will receive support and individual guidance at all stages," the Ministry of Defense noted.

Meanwhile, as the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, a man who deserted his military unit attacked two passersby with a knife in Zhytomyr.