Ukraine ends simplified СЗЧ return program; new general procedure in force
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence announced that the simplified return program for servicemembers whose unauthorized absence (СЗЧ) was recorded before 12 June 2026 ended on 20 September. Voluntary return now goes through the Military Law Enforcement Service and reserve battalions, under a longer process that strips servicemembers of unit choice.
Key points
- Simplified return program for pre-12 June 2026 СЗЧ cases ended on 20 September, per the Ministry of Defence.
- New general return procedure routes servicemembers through the Military Law Enforcement Service (ВСП) and reserve battalions.
- Under Army+, servicemembers can file a return report; ВСП processes it and they have 24 hours to arrive at the relevant ВСП unit for a travel order.
- Reserve battalion commanders must issue an inclusion order within 3 days and check whether the СЗЧ is in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations.
- Recommendation letters are accepted only from combat brigades needing personnel; support-unit letters are not considered.
- First-time СЗЧ offenders during martial law can be released from criminal liability under Part 5 of Article 401 of the Criminal Code, via a court process.
- Report (as of early 2026): more than 200,000 servicemembers in СЗЧ; 500 return reports under the simplified procedure by 18 June.
Why it matters
The transition ends a more lenient reintegration track that had been available to servicemembers who left their units without authorization. Under the new rules the return process is longer, restoration of pay takes longer, and servicemembers can no longer choose which unit they will serve in — they are instead directed to priority-manning combat units through reserve battalions. The policy gives the defence establishment tighter control over placement and ties voluntary return to Part 5 of Article 401 of the Criminal Code. With more than 200,000 servicemembers reported in СЗЧ and thousands of return applications already filed, the change affects a large pool of cases and signals how Ukraine intends to manage its unauthorised-absence problem going forward.
What happened
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence announced on 20 September that the simplified program allowing servicemembers whose unauthorized absence (СЗЧ) was recorded before 12 June 2026 to return to service has ended. Voluntary return from СЗЧ now proceeds under general conditions. A servicemember who wants to return may contact the Military Law Enforcement Service (ВСП) — the Central Administration in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, territorial administrations, or zonal departments — or submit a return report (рапорт) through the Army+ mobile app. Army+ reports are processed by ВСП units, and once a report is confirmed the servicemember has 24 hours to arrive at the relevant ВСП unit to receive a travel order (припис) and proceed to a reserve battalion. A servicemember may also go directly to a reserve battalion; the list of such battalions can be obtained from a ВСП unit. At the ВСП unit, the servicemember receives information about reserve battalions and may be issued a travel order on the spot. Upon arrival at a reserve battalion, the commander must within no more than 3 days issue an order to include the servicemember on the temporarily arrived personnel list, assign tasks, and check via law enforcement agencies whether the СЗЧ has been entered into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations. The reserve battalion commander also notifies the original unit of the servicemember's arrival; if the servicemember holds written consent from a priority-manning combat unit commander, that unit is named in the notice. Reserve battalion commanders accept and consider recommendation letters from combat brigades needing personnel replenishment, but not from support units — such servicemembers are directed specifically to priority-manning units. A servicemember who committed СЗЧ for the first time during martial law can be released from criminal liability under Part 5 of Article 401 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. To qualify, they must file a report, obtain written consent from the unit or reserve battalion commander to continue service, and petition an investigator, prosecutor or court about their intention to return; the materials are then sent to court for a decision. Under the new general procedure, the return process is longer, the wait to restore pay is longer, and servicemembers can no longer independently choose the unit in which they continue service.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All six sources in the set are Ukrainian-language outlets (Громадське радіо, Українська правда, Суспільне Новини, Новинарня, ZN.UA, LIGA.net), all reporting the Ministry of Defence's announcement. Coverage is framed as an official policy update with practical guidance, presenting the step-by-step Army+ / ВСП / reserve-battalion procedure that servicemembers must follow. Several outlets underline the contrast with the earlier simplified regime — the longer process, the longer wait for pay, and the loss of unit choice — and frame the change as a tightening of conditions for returnees rather than a political story.
Where reporting differs
Sources disagree on the cut-off date that defined who was eligible for the simplified program: one source (article 28576) gives 11 June, while another (article 28578) gives 12 June 2026. Sources also disagree on the exact day the simplified program stopped operating: article 28775 places the end at 21 September, whereas the bulk of sources (including the Ministry of Defence's announcement, as carried in articles 28578, 28690, 28912 and 28634) place the end on 20 September.
Background
СЗЧ (самовільне залишення частини) is the Ukrainian military term for unauthorized absence from a unit. The simplified return program was a temporary, more lenient mechanism for bringing those servicemembers back without the usual criminal consequences. Article 401 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine is the provision under which СЗЧ is prosecuted; Part 5 provides for release from criminal liability under specific conditions during martial law. Army+ is the Ukrainian military's mobile application used for servicemember self-service, including filing reports.