Most of the soldiers in the unit were killed: The State Bureau of Investigation detained a soldier who publicly announced that he was going AWOL. He faces 12 years in prison

The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) of Ukraine has detained a soldier from the 56th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, Serhiy Hnizdilov, who publicly announced his departure from his military unit, citing the fact that most of the soldiers in his unit had been killed.

This information reported according to information published on the agency’s web resources.

After Hnizdilov’s statement about leaving the unit without permission, the Donetsk Specialized Defense Prosecutor’s Office in the Eastern region opened a criminal case under the article on desertion and assigned the investigation to the SBI. The next day, the brigade initiated an internal investigation, concluding that the soldier had committed actions that allegedly contained signs of a criminal offense.

Preliminary findings indicate that in early September, Hnizdilov was sent to a hospital for a medical examination by a military medical commission. However, he reportedly never underwent the examination or stayed at the hospital. After the scheduled end of his medical commission, he did not return to his duty station. Instead, he evaded law enforcement for two weeks, changing his locations and cities of residence.

The SBI stated, “A demonstrative and public departure from a military unit during wartime is not only immoral towards comrades remaining at the front but also demoralizes society and fuels a false discussion that clearly benefits our enemy.”

Under martial law, desertion is punishable by imprisonment for 5 to 12 years.

It is worth noting that on September 21, Hnizdilov announced via Facebook that he was going AWOL (absent without leave). He later explained that his actions were driven by the fact that most of his unit had been killed, and there had been no rotations within the brigade.