Ukrainian soldiers warned: return from AWOL now only possible to assault units
Ukrainian soldiers are receiving warnings that transferring after unauthorized absence from unit (AWOL) has become much harder. In some brigades, notices are circulating that the General Staff has changed the return from AWOL mechanism — troops can now return only to air assault forces or assault regiments.
One such message was forwarded to hromadske by a soldier from a Land Forces mechanized brigade.
"The new conditions provide for ignoring refererences and written approvals from unit commanders, and directing personnel returning after AWOL to designated priority-manning units (assault regiments and Air Assault Troops). This information must be conveyed to all soldiers not as a scare tactic but as information, so the maximum number understand that the scheme of transferring via AWOL to a chosen unit no longer works," the message sent by a mechanized brigade commander to his troops read.
In another Land Forces brigade, issuing references to AWOL troops has been banned. Instead, subunits are advised to recruit AWOL returnees not through letters but via reserve battalions.
"Our recruiting is closed. They come back — straight to assault troops," another battalion commander already dealing with the new rules told hromadske.
He described writing a reference for a fighter who went AWOL from his brigade and wanted to join his battalion. But when the soldier went to the Military Law Enforcement Service with the reference, he was sent to an assault regiment. When he tried another recruitment center (after MLES referral, recruitment centers assign troops), he was sent to a different assault regiment.
hromadske asked the General Staff for comment on future AWOL transfer mechanisms and sent an official request. We await a response.
As 93rd Mechanized Brigade chief sergeant Vitaliy Pyasetskyi explained, reserve battalions can hold not only voluntary returnees but also less-motivated individuals detained by Military Law Enforcement Service. Spending, for example, a month with alcohol-dependent people in these battalions can demotivate voluntary returnees. Therefore, the brigade's chief sergeant advised simplifying the AWOL return procedure.