Ukraine ends simplified СЗЧ return program; general procedure now applies

Ukraine ends simplified СЗЧ return program; longer general procedure now in place

Key points

The simplified СЗЧ return program applied to servicemembers whose unauthorized absence was recorded before 12 June 2026 and ended on 20 September 2026.
After 20 September, voluntary returns from СЗЧ are processed under general conditions through the Military Law Enforcement Service (ВСП) and reserve battalions.
The general procedure means a longer return process, longer wait for restoration of pay, and no ability to independently choose the unit for further service.
Servicemembers may contact the Central ВСП Administration in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, territorial ВСП administrations, zonal ВСП departments, or submit a return report via the Army+ app; after confirmation, they have 24 hours to arrive at the relevant ВСП unit.
Reserve battalion commanders issue an order within 3 days to include the servicemember in the temporarily arrived personnel list and direct them to priority-manning combat units, accepting recommendation letters only from combat brigades, not from support units.
Release from criminal liability under Part 5 of Article 401 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine remains available for first-time СЗЧ during martial law, requiring a report, written consent from a unit commander, and a petition to an investigator, prosecutor, or court.
Questions about return to service can be directed to the MoD hotline at 1519.

Why it matters

The closure of the simplified return window ends a shorter, more lenient process that had been available for several months. Under the new procedure, the path back to service is longer, pay restoration takes longer, and servicemembers can no longer pick the unit they return to — reserve battalion commanders now assign them to priority-manning combat units and disregard recommendation letters from support units. Release from criminal liability under Part 5 of Article 401 of the Criminal Code remains available for first-time СЗЧ during martial law, but only after a report, written consent from a commander, and a court petition.

What happened

Ukraine's Ministry of Defence announced that the simplified voluntary return program for servicemembers whose unauthorized absence (СЗЧ) was recorded before 12 June 2026 ended on 20 September 2026. From that date, returns are processed under a general procedure through the Military Law Enforcement Service (ВСП) and reserve battalions. The simplified program had been announced on 12 June 2026 as part of the first stage of the transformation of the Defence Forces, alongside new contract terms and СЗЧ return mechanisms. Under the new general procedure, the return process is longer, restoration of pay takes longer, and servicemembers cannot independently choose the unit in which they will continue service. Servicemembers may contact the Central ВСП Administration in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, a territorial ВСП administration, or a zonal ВСП department, or submit a return report through the Army+ app; after confirmation in Army+, they have 24 hours to arrive at the relevant ВСП unit to receive a travel order. At a ВСП unit they receive information about reserve battalions and can be given a travel order to one of them; they may also report directly to a reserve battalion, whose list is available from the ВСП. Within 3 days of arrival, the reserve battalion commander issues an order adding the servicemember to the temporarily arrived personnel list and assigns tasks, checks via law enforcement agencies whether the СЗЧ has been entered into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations, and notifies the commander of the original unit. If the servicemember has written consent from the commander of a priority-manning combat unit, that unit is indicated in the notice. Recommendation letters from support units are not taken into account; servicemembers are directed to priority-manning units. Release from criminal liability under Part 5 of Article 401 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine remains available for first-time СЗЧ during martial law, but requires a report, written consent from the unit or reserve battalion commander to continue service, and a petition to an investigator, prosecutor, or court; the court makes the ruling. Questions about return to service can be directed to the Ministry of Defence hotline at 1519.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

All reporting comes from Ukrainian media and frames the change as an official Ministry of Defence announcement explaining how servicemembers should now proceed. Coverage centers on the practical administrative steps — ВСП contacts, Army+ submission, reserve battalion procedures — and on preserving the path to release from criminal liability under Part 5 of Article 401. Background context from General Staff data — more returns from СЗЧ than new departures in August — is used to frame the simplified program as having had a tangible effect before its closure.

Where reporting differs

Sources disagree on the cutoff date for the simplified program's СЗЧ eligibility: one source states it applied to servicemembers whose unauthorized absence was recorded before 11 June, while other sources and the confirmed facts give 12 June 2026. Sources also differ on the exact end date of the simplified program — one article says it ceased to operate from 21 September, while others state it was in effect until 20 September.

Background

The simplified return program was announced on 12 June 2026 as part of the first stage of the transformation of the Defence Forces, alongside new contract terms and СЗЧ return mechanisms. As of the start of 2026, more than 200,000 Ukrainian servicemembers were reported to be in СЗЧ. By 18 June, 500 return reports had been filed under the simplified procedure; on 1 July the then-Minister of Defence referenced "thousands of applications"; according to General Staff data, more servicemembers returned from СЗЧ in August than newly left their units.