Odesa activist who left the army without permission was left in custody

The Kyiv Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the Pechersk Court of Kyiv to keep Odesa activist and soldier of the 56th Brigade Serhiy Hnezdilov, who had left the military unit without permission, in the brig.

The hearing was attended by the suspect's friends, journalists and members of the movement for the establishment of clear terms of military service, hromadske reported from the courtroom.

The attendees held posters with appeals: "Return rights to defenders", "Protest does not equal violation of the law", "Your will is stronger than political will", and there were also those who wanted to take Serhiy Gnezdilov on bail - their requests were also rejected by the court.

Lawyer Oleksandr Shadrin asked to change the measure of restraint to one that does not involve detention, and to recognize the detention of the military as illegal.

The lawyer reminded that the issue of clear terms of service has not yet been resolved, while Serhiy Hnezdilov has been in the army for 5 years. In addition, he will soon turn 25 years old, i.e., he will reach the age of conscription. The judge emphasized that, according to the law, the Court of Appeal cannot determine the illegality of detention, as it is the responsibility of the investigating judge.

Earlier, Gnezdilov said he would go on a hunger strike if the legislation on demobilization is not developed and adopted, adding that he was ready to return to service if such a document is adopted.

He noted that service in the army without clear deadlines is turning into serfdom and "castration" of society. On October 11, Kyiv's Pechersk Court imposed a pre-trial restraint on Serhiy Hnezdilov, a soldier of the 56th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, in the form of two months in custody without bail.

In September, the activist said that he was leaving the military unit until the specific terms of service were determined. He noted that in this way he wanted to draw the attention of the authorities and society to the need to discuss this issue. In his opinion, many people are trying to avoid serving in the Armed Forces, while the infantry is bearing the brunt of the war without the prospect of demobilization.