The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
The Poltava District Court of Poltava Oblast found an Armed Forces of Ukraine officer guilty of repeatedly unauthorized absence from his place of service during martial law and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment.
This was reported by the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office in the Field of Defense of the Central Region.
The verdict was delivered following public prosecution by prosecutors. The serviceman’s actions were classified under Part 5, Article 407 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — unauthorized absence from a place of service for more than three days committed under martial law.
The court established that the officer, acting deliberately and out of personal motives, three times left his place of service without authorization, attempting to temporarily evade the performance of his military duties.
In particular, in December 2024, he left his unit’s location in Sumy Oblast without permission and remained away from service for a long time. In February 2025, the serviceman voluntarily returned to the military unit, using the legally provided mechanism for resuming service, which led to the termination of criminal proceedings.
However, in September and October 2025, the convicted officer again committed unauthorized absences — this time in Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts.
The court agreed with the prosecution’s position, took into account the gravity and repeated nature of the criminal offenses, as well as all circumstances of the case, and imposed a real custodial sentence.
