The simplified return program from the IEDC has ended. The Ministry of Defense explains what to do now – Center for Investigative Journalism

20 September the simplified return program from the IEDC for service members who left their unit on their own before 12 June 2026 of the year ended. Since 21 September, voluntary return will be carried out under general conditions — through the Military Police, reserve battalions, etc.

This is reported by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

“After 20 September, voluntary return from the IEDC is carried out under general conditions – through the Military Police, reserve battalions, etc. This means a longer return process, longer waiting for the restoration of monetary allowances, and also the inability to independently choose in which unit to continue service,” the statement reads.

Where to contact for return from the IEDC

If a serviceman wants to return from the IEDC, he may contact the units of the Military Service of Law and Order (VSP) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, namely:

Central Administration of the VSP in Kyiv city and Kyiv region or territorial administrations;

zone VSP departments.

Contacts of the VSP administrations and zone departments are available via the link.

What happens after arrival at the VSP unit

The serviceman at the VSP unit is provided with information about reserve battalions to which he can return for service. He can also receive an assignment to one of these battalions.

The serviceman may also independently come to a reserve battalion. The list of such battalions can be found at the VSP unit.

What to expect for a service member in the reserve battalion

After arrival at the reserve battalion, its commander, no later than 3 days, issues an order including the serviceman in the list of temporarily arrived personnel and assigns him tasks.

Also, the reserve battalion commander, through law enforcement bodies, verifies whether information about the serviceman’s IEDC entry has been entered into the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations.

The reserve battalion commander prepares and sends a notice of the serviceman’s arrival at the reserve battalion to the commander of the military unit from which the IEDC was conducted.

If the serviceman has written consent from the commander of the combat unit of priority staffing, this notice specifies the corresponding military unit.

Can one return to a unit with a recommendation letter?

According to the order of movement of Ukrainian servicemen, commanders of reserve battalions accept and consider recommendation letters from combat brigades that require personnel replenishment.

However, recommendation letters from supplying military units are not taken into account. Commanders of reserve battalions direct such servicemen to the priority-staffed military units.

How to obtain exemption from criminal liability for the IEDC

A serviceman may be exempted from criminal liability if, during a state of war, he first committed an IEDC, in accordance with part 5 of article 401 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

For this, he must write a report and obtain written consent from the commander of the military unit (reserve battalion) to continue service.

It is also necessary to submit a petition to the investigator, prosecutor, or court about the intention to return to military service. Materials for exemption of such a serviceman from criminal liability are sent to the court, which makes a corresponding decision.

For questions about returning to military service, the hot line of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine operates at the number 1519.

Reminder:

14 January 2026 of the year, newly appointed Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov announced at a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada that two million Ukrainians are wanted by the TCC (territorial recruitment centers) and 200 thousand are in the IEDC.