The Shepetivka District Court has issued a verdict against a senior soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for unauthorized absence from his military unit. The accused left for home without the knowledge of his superiors and spent over two years there at his own discretion. Due to a previous conviction for a similar offense, he has been sentenced to six years in prison.
According to the verdict dated January 6, in July 2022, the accused left the military camp without permission and did not report for duty for more than two years. On September 30, 2024, he voluntarily approached the Shepetivka District Police Department and reported the crime.
During the trial, the soldier acknowledged his guilt but did not disclose the reason for his desertion. He requested not to be punished harshly and expressed a desire to continue his military service.
It is known that the accused hails from the village of Klymentovychy in the Shepetivka district and is a combat participant. His character at his place of service is described negatively. Furthermore, in February 2022, he was already convicted in Lviv Oblast for a similar crime—rather than receiving a three-year prison sentence, he was given a probation period.
Judge Svitlana Kozachuk found the senior soldier guilty under part 5 of Article 407 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (unauthorized absence from a military unit for more than three days during martial law) and imposed a six-year imprisonment sentence. This decision can still be appealed in the appellate court.