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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
20 in September in Ukraine another period of simplified return for service members after leaving a unit without authorization ends, the fourth already. Military officer Ihor Lyuchenko believes that the state fights mostly the consequences of SMC, not the causes of this phenomenon. As reported by Glavkom, he wrote this in social media.
According to Lyuchenko, previous simplified return mechanisms operated with deadlines 1 in January, 1 March and 30 August 2025 of the year. After these return periods ended, it remained possible to return, but already without the corresponding privileged regime.
The soldier asserts that the number of SMC cases could reach about 400 thousand or more, and law enforcement and judicial systems are physically unable to process that many proceedings.
In his view, one possible solution could be decriminalization of the first SMC case.
“Sinful to joke, but I’ll joke anyway: actually it would be worth simply decriminalizing SMC, just imposing some fine for it, and that would simplify life for many. Because all these threatening criminal articles do not work even for one percent,” the soldier stated.
One of the main reasons soldiers go into SMC, Lyuchenko attributes to problems already at the training centers. According to him, some mobilized personnel are psychologically unprepared for military service, so for recruits a more gradual adaptation should be introduced.
Another factor he considers is conflicts between military personnel and command. Partly, the problem, in his view, could be solved by simplifying transfers between units.
“The current transfer system is still a slow hell. Even when both commanders agree, the system can block the transfer for months,” Lyuchenko stated.
The third reason he cited is the level of monetary provision. According to the soldier, payments have not effectively kept pace with inflation, which is especially noticeable for service members who have to support families.
Recall that returning a service member after an unauthorized departure does not automatically extend military service. For this, an appropriate order from the commander is required.
At the same time, Lyuchenko pointed out that in the draft budget for 2027 year, expenditures in this area are planned to be increased by more than 20%. He expressed hope that this will ultimately lead to a real increase in payments to military personnel.
Recall that service members whose unauthorized leaving of a unit was recorded up to 12 June 2026 year must submit a report by 20 September to take advantage of the special procedure for returning to service.
The program allows service members to voluntarily return to service and independently choose a unit. It applies only to those whose SMC was recorded before 12 June 2026 year.
The special procedure does not apply to cases where unauthorized leaving of a unit was recorded in 13 June or later. In that case, return occurs under the general procedure provided by law, without the possibility to independently choose a military unit.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Луценко запропонував новий підхід до СЗЧ". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: ZmiOne.
