General Staff: More Troops Return From AWOL In August Than Leave Their Units

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) This was reported to Ukrinform by Lieutenant Volodymyr Molodii, spokesperson for the Human Capital Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“In August 2026, the number of service members who returned to duty after AWOL exceeded the number of those who left their military units without authorization,” Molodii said.

He added that these figures demonstrate the new approaches introduced by the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapatyi.

The spokesperson said that, in order to recruit conscripts and other eligible citizens for military service more effectively, four recruitment centers began operating in August under the West, East, South, and North operational commands. They are subordinate to the Ground Forces and operate within the areas of direct responsibility of the respective commands.

“The centers do more than simply offer positions in military units. They provide comprehensive information and support throughout the entire process of joining the Armed Forces – from selecting a position and preparing documents to undergoing the military medical examination and arriving at the place of service. The goal is to make every step a person takes toward military service fully clear and predictable,” Molodii explained.

He noted that the recruitment centers are one of the tools helping attract eligible citizens to serve under contract in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He also recalled that in June, the Ministry of Defense, in cooperation with the General Staff, launched new incentive-based contracts with fixed terms of service: six to 14 months for infantry positions and 24 months for non-combat positions.

“The new contracts guarantee the right to discharge after the contract term has been completed, regardless of whether martial law remains in effect. This is an important step toward a model in which a person understands the basic conditions and prospects of military service even before joining,” Molodii emphasized.

Read also: Ukrainian troops training in Poland with French instructors

At the same time, he noted that the issue of completing military service must be addressed together with rotation, force generation, training, and the recruitment of new personnel. The simultaneous discharge of a large number of service members without sufficient resources to replace them could directly affect the military's combat capability. Therefore, the goal of personnel policy is not simply to set a discharge date, but to build a mechanism that will allow personnel to be gradually renewed, rotations to be ensured, and the required strength and capabilities of combat units to be maintained.

“The Commander-in-Chief has set the direction, while the specific tasks, indicators, and mechanisms for implementing it must be developed and formalized through separate decisions. At this stage, the relevant structural units of the General Staff continue their work in close cooperation with the Ministry of Defense,” Molodii said.

As reported by Ukrinform, the simplified procedure is available to service members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the State Special Transport Service whose AWOL was recorded on or before June 12, 2026.

MENAFN10092026000193011044ID1111649614