Ukraine is giving its missing troops a bonus for rejoining the war: The chance to choose their new area of deployment, commander, and job.
Kyiv’s defense ministry said on Friday that it would allow troops who are absent without leave, or AWOL, to choose from over 70 units across its three ground branches if they redeploy.
The announcement is an expansion of a voluntary return program, launched in June, that aims to coax tens of thousands of AWOL troops back within 100 days. That’s a priority for Ukraine, which has struggled to keep its ranks filled for years, reinforcing a vicious cycle where its remaining, outnumbered troops grow increasingly…
