Previously, next week the Verkhovna Rada is expected to consider in the second reading the draft law on the Military Ombudsman. An Office of the Military Ombudsman should be created to ensure the protection of the rights of servicemen. This was stated by the President's Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Servicemen and Their Families, Olha Reshetylova, to a journalist of UNN, adding that on August 11 alone, she received over 60 appeals from military personnel.
In case of rights violation, you can contact me. Just yesterday, August 11, I received over 60 appeals from servicemen. As of today, I don't have enough staff to process them promptly, but if a complaint concerns a threat to a serviceman's life and health from his comrades or commanders, we react immediately.
The Commissioner stated that the Rada is expected to consider the draft law on the Military Ombudsman in the second reading next week.
Next week, as far as I can see, the draft law on the Military Ombudsman is already on the agenda, which will be voted on in the second reading. I hope that it will be adopted and a whole Office of the Military Ombudsman will be created to ensure the protection of the rights of servicemen. Because today my efforts - of one person - are not enough. This should be a systemic work.
What the authorities are doing to counter abuses by commanders
In addition, Reshetylova commented on what servicemen should do in case of commander's abuses.
In the army, as in any other sphere, there can be human rights violations, violations of servicemen's rights, which is why Ukraine is currently building an infrastructure for the protection of servicemen's rights. If we are talking about the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Main Directorate for the Protection of Servicemen's Rights of the Ministry of Defense has been created, and I have been appointed as the President's Commissioner.
Why a separate institution was created specifically for the military
Upon entering service, servicemen are limited in terms of their rights and freedoms – the right to movement or freedom of movement, freedom of speech. Unfortunately, such is the nature of the army, where it is a very hierarchical structure and the subordination of a serviceman is very vertical.
She emphasized that, in fact, according to the UAF charter, the first person responsible for protecting the rights of servicemen is the commander.
The role of the commander in the army
If a commander does not ensure the protection of servicemen's rights and violates them himself, then this speaks to the quality of the commander himself, to his leadership qualities. Therefore, when we talk about commanders' abuses, we should talk about the training of appropriate officer personnel, their retraining, and qualification. Just as in any other structure, when managers are grown who can fully create a healthy climate in the team, ensure the protection of each employee. Similarly, in the army, with an even greater need, we need high-quality commanders, managers, leaders who will take responsibility for protecting the rights of servicemen. But this is complex work.
The military ombudsman noted that today in Ukraine there are not enough officers even to simply fill all positions, because the Ukrainian army is currently in a very difficult situation.
First of all, we need to work on training commanders and chief sergeants.
Recall
In December 2024, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Olha Reshetylova (Kobylynska) as the President's Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Servicemen and Members of Warriors' Families.
In June of this year, 287 deputies voted for the draft law on the Military Ombudsman as a basis. According to the draft law, the President will appoint the military ombudsman and his deputies, who will consider complaints from servicemen and exercise control in the field of security and defense.