Wounded Ukrainian soldier arrested in hospital as a deserter

By Ahmet Taş | Wise News Press

KYIV, UKRAINE — A Ukrainian soldier who was severely wounded during operations in the Kursk region narrowly avoided imprisonment after being wrongly identified as a criminal due to a bureaucratic failure. Law enforcement officers arrived at the hospital where Marko Fedorov was receiving treatment and declared him a deserter for "unauthorized abandonment of a unit" (SZCH), despite his well-documented medical evacuation.

The incident, which highlights the chaotic administrative hurdles facing Ukraine's defenders, came to light after the soldier's father, Pavlo Fedorov, posted an emotional account on Facebook.

"They just came to my son in the hospital and tied him up like a criminal," Fedorov wrote. "They said he is AWOL. He has been in hospitals since September 15, 2024, due to a very severe injury he received in the Kursk region near Sudzha. Damn bureaucracy. Inhumane attitude towards the wounded."

A long road to recovery interrupted

Marko sustained his injuries near Sudzha in September 2024. His path to recovery was arduous, involving complex surgeries at the Institute of Urology in Kyiv and transfers between various medical facilities. His final destination was Odesa, where he was undergoing rehabilitation when the arrest occurred.

The root of the problem lay in a reshuffling of military units. While Marko was fighting for his life in surgery, his original unit—a battalion within the 36th Marine Brigade, associated with the famous "Da Vinci" unit—was disbanded.

Paperwork transferred the wounded soldier to a new unit, the 108th Battalion of the 59th Brigade. However, physically unable to report for duty due to his hospitalization, the new command, seeing an absent soldier on their roster, automatically filed him as missing and declared him a deserter.

"You are a deserter in the database"

Pavlo Fedorov described the shock of the initial confrontation. The family first realized something was wrong at a standard checkpoint, where Marko, barely able to stand after treatment, was flagged as a fugitive.

"They stopped him somehow and said: 'You are AWOL. You are a deserter in the database.' We were shocked by this information," Fedorov recalled. "How can a wounded person in such a condition be sent to AWOL? The command simply decided this foolishly."

The family frantically contacted military authorities to rectify the mistake. Even the Military Law Enforcement Service (VSP), typically responsible for detaining deserters, expressed disbelief at the negligence.

"We contacted the Central VSP in Kyiv. They were also stunned and said: 'How is it possible to report a person in such a condition as AWOL?' They said it is illegal," Fedorov stated.

Bureaucratic paralysis

The situation devolved into what the father described as "management paralysis." Although Marko was formally transferred to a new brigade, that unit could not legally accept him because he was not combat-ready.

"It turned out to be a dead end: some make decisions, and others cannot execute them," Fedorov explained.

Fortunately, public outcry following the Facebook post forced a resolution. Representatives from the Office of the Military Ombudsman contacted the family, and the Marine Corps command promised to intervene to protect the soldier's rights.

Currently, Marko Fedorov is no longer in custody. He is at a unit location where documents are finally being prepared for his official medical discharge from the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

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