The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is preparing a new procedure for granting combatant status to foreigners and stateless persons. This was announced by the representative of the Cabinet of Ministers in the Verkhovna Rada, Taras Melnychuk, via a link.
Details
"The Procedure for granting and depriving the status of a combatant and a person with a disability as a result of war to foreigners and stateless persons who defended the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine has been approved," Melnychuk announced.
What the draft provides for:
- to define the Ministry of Veterans Affairs as the sole body authorized to grant combatant status and disability status as a result of war to foreigners;
- to approve the application form, clear grounds for granting, refusing, or depriving of status;
- to provide the opportunity to obtain status after dismissal from service, taking into account the place of residence;
- to amend resolutions No. 413, No. 685, No. 1041, and No. 740 to unify the procedure for foreigners;
- to simplify the procedure for those who have already fought but do not have Ukrainian citizenship;
- to define the right of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs to issue combatant certificates and war veteran badges to such persons.
It is noted that the draft also provides for the exclusion from the procedure No. 685 of the norm on depriving the status of the family of a fallen defender in case of a criminal record. This issue will be resolved separately.
Additions
New positions have been introduced in the military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – officers, sergeants, and soldiers of social support, who assist servicemen, including with the processing of necessary documents, in particular combatant status, according to the Ministry of Defense.