The State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) is focused on returning soldiers who left their place of service to their positions, and not on increasing the number of criminal cases against them, says SBI Director Oleksiy Sukhachov.

"Our task is to facilitate the return of fighters to combat positions, and not to improve the statistics of open criminal proceedings for evasion of service," Sukhachov told Interfax-Ukraine.

He drew attention to the fact that preventive measures and explanatory work are priorities in this matter.

The director of the State Bureau of Investigations did not specify the number of criminal proceedings opened in connection with unauthorized leaving of a service position, but noted that this figure does not affect the country's defense capability.

"A set of measures has been worked out with the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the military law enforcement service, the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police, which allows us to quickly establish the location of each serviceman who left the unit without permission and return him to his place of duty. We are doing everything in our power to bring this mechanism to automaticity," Sukhachov emphasized.