Draft dodgers recalled en masse in Ukraine, with approximately 29,000 individuals being granted amnesty. - "Authorities in Ukraine to Retrieve Approximately 29,000 Persons on the Run"
In an effort to address severe personnel shortages caused by the ongoing war with Russia, Ukraine has offered amnesty to over 29,000 deserters from its military forces. This amnesty law, introduced in late 2024, grants first-time deserters protection from criminal prosecution and allows them to reintegrate without penalties if they return voluntarily by a specified deadline in August 2025.
The legislation, developed in collaboration with the Ukrainian army, aims to stabilize and replenish its forces with experienced fighters, offsetting losses from casualties, captures, and desertions. The law emphasizes a fast-tracked return process, restoration of soldiers’ social and financial benefits, and the possibility to return to the original or new military units. It distinguishes between desertion (intentional permanent abandonment) and unauthorized absence (temporary leave), with amnesty focusing on first offenses and voluntary returns.
Since the conflict began in February 2022, desertion has been a significant challenge for Ukraine’s armed forces. Prosecutors have recorded around 224,000 desertion cases, but only a fraction is pursued by law enforcement and brought to trial. By offering amnesty, Ukraine seeks to mitigate the crisis in military personnel availability without alienating those who fled under duress or exhaustion.
Despite the law’s success in reintegrating nearly 30,000 deserters within about eight months, desertion remains a mass phenomenon in Ukraine, with over 122,000 new cases registered recently and estimates of total deserters at or above 400,000. Only a small share of deserters return, but this law represents a pragmatic strategy to address the issue.
The amnesty has not been without controversy. Resistance to forced conscription is evident on the streets, with passersby showing solidarity with the men. Last Sunday, villagers in the Mykolayiv region in southern Ukraine beat military recruiters with clubs and metal pipes. In Vinnytsia in western Ukraine, a crowd tried to free dozens of mobilized men from a football stadium last Friday but was prevented by a large police presence.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reports that the army recruits up to 30,000 new soldiers per month. Monthly losses due to death, injury, capture, and desertion in the Ukrainian army are estimated to be at least as high as the recruitment rate. Despite this, Ukraine has been defending against Russia's invasion for over three years.
Olexiy Sukachov, director of the State Investigation Bureau, announced the number of returning soldiers to the news agency Interfax-Ukraine. Between November 29, 2024, and August 2025, over 29,000 soldiers returned to service due to the amnesty. The actual number of desertion cases is believed to be much higher, with only a small percentage pursued by law enforcement and brought to trial.
The amnesty law, introduced as a collaborative effort between the Ukrainian government and military, not only Focuses on employment policy by providing a fast-tracked return process and restoration of soldiers' social and financial benefits, but it also addresses community policy by offering leniency to first-time deserters in an attempt to mitigate the civil unrest caused by forced conscription, war-and-conflicts, and the ongoing politics of the general-news surrounding the wars with Russia. Despite the law's intended success, desertion remains a significant issue, highlighting a need for ongoing reassessment of employment and community policies.
