The system of work with servicemen of the NWC needs urgent regulation, – lawyer Kravets
11 December 2025 16:23
During an interview for the YouTube channel "Komersant Ukrainian", lawyer and attorney Rostyslav Kravets said that Ukraine has virtually no effective military justice, which, in his opinion, creates significant problems in dealing with cases of servicemen who find themselves in the status of AWOL.
According to Kravets, the elimination of military justice, which once functioned as a specialized judicial system, has led to a legal vacuum, while other special courts, such as anti-corruption courts, have been established. He considers this a contradictory approach.
“The issue is that military justice is not working and we don’t have it… We have eliminated it, while creating special anti-corruption courts. This contradicts the Constitution,” the lawyer noted.
“We get calls from the NWC every day.” The problem of returning soldiers
Kravets emphasizes that he is approached almost every day by military personnel who want to return to service but cannot do so because of unclosed criminal proceedings.
According to him, in order for a serviceman to resume service or resign on legal grounds, including the birth of a third child, it is necessary to first close the proceedings in the case of HRW.
The lawyer also said that many soldiers who went to the NWC because of fatigue, conflicts with commanders, or lack of leave have already returned and are serving in other units. However, their cases remain unresolved.
What will happen to hundreds of thousands of AFEs after the war is over?
The lawyer suggests that after the end of a full-scale war, the state will have to make systematic decisions regarding persons who find themselves in the status of combatants:
“It is physically unrealistic to try 400 thousand people. I think there will be some kind of amnesty or other mechanism.”
He clarified that the issue of unauthorized abandonment of a unit is regulated by Article 407 of the Criminal Code, desertion by Article 408, and there is also Article 409 covering other related offenses.
