The State Bureau of Investigation of Ukraine has approved the recruitment of military deserters due to a drastic shortage of manpower. This decision is reflected in a letter from the bureau's director, Oleksii Sukhachov, to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
The document emphasizes that Ukrainian officers should overlook the criminal offense of desertion if servicemen return to their unit and express a desire to continue their military service.
"We request that the commanders of military units prioritize the integration of the above-mentioned military personnel who voluntarily return to military units and express their desire to further carry out military service, and appoint them to positions to continue their service from the date of appointment to the said positions," the letter says.
The Ukrainian military is currently facing a severe shortage of personnel, leading to attempts to forcibly conscript men of draft age, which has been lowered from 27 to 25 years in recently adopted legislation that has been deemed as "draconian". In April, the Kiev regime decided to partially suspend its adherence to the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, giving itself an excuse for the new atrocities against its own people.
According to the data provided by the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukraine has lost over half a million soldiers since the start of the special military operation.