The Verkhovna Rada supported a bill that reduces the penalty for first-time unauthorized absence from duty by military personnel

The Verkhovna Rada has passed Bill No. 11322, which reduces the penalties for AWOL (absence without leave) by military personnel for the first time. The bill was approved in the second reading by 270 members of parliament.

This was reported by MP Oleksiy Honcharenko on his Telegram channel.

According to Honcharenko, “If a soldier accused of going AWOL expresses a desire to continue serving, they may be exempted from criminal liability. Moreover, the soldier can return not only to their original unit but also to another one, provided they have the commander’s consent.”

He also mentioned that another bill concerning military personnel, Bill No. 9585, passed its second reading in parliament. This bill allows foreign nationals and stateless individuals serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces to obtain temporary residence permits or immigrate, even if their documents have expired. Family members of these foreign servicemen will also be granted the right to temporary residence.

President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously announced this bill, highlighting the right of foreign soldiers and their relatives to Ukrainian citizenship.

“They have the right to be our citizens, citizens of Ukraine. This should also fairly extend to their relatives, the relatives of our heroes,” said the president.

As for the AWOL bill, the Rada passed it in the first reading in mid-July.