“More than 3800 appeals": Reshetylova summarizes first 20 days as military ombudsman
Kyiv • UNN
Olga Reshetylova spoke about the first results of her work as a military ombudsman. The main problems include refusals to refer to the MLC, transfers between units and non-renewal after the SGC.
Military Ombudsman Olga Reshetylova summarized the results of the first 20 days of her work, having received more than 3,800 appeals. She outlined the main problems faced by the military, UNN reports.
During my 20 days as the Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Servicemen and Members of Their Families, I received 3876 appeals. They come in various ways, to the published phone number and e-mail, via personal messengers, official letters to the Office of the President, through the Ministry of Defense, during meetings or visits to hospitals,
According to Reshetylova, some of the appeals, namely 302, do not directly concern the protection of the rights of servicemen. In these cases, people are trying to find justice by contacting various authorities to draw attention to their problems. Such appeals were sent to the relevant agencies.
Other servicemen or their relatives needed advice or clarification. The rest of the appeals concerned the essence of specific issues. Although each appeal has its own specifics, certain trends can already be seen and the main blocks of problems can be identified. However, Reshetylova emphasized that this is only a preliminary assessment of the situation, not a detailed analysis.
"So, we have two record-breakers in terms of the number of appeals - not referrals to the HCPC and treatment and the problem of transferring between units.
As for the first one. Looking ahead, I will say that yes, I know that some servicemen abuse the opportunity to undergo a preliminary medical examination, that commanders, in the face of a catastrophic shortage of personnel, cannot afford to send them for treatment at the slightest complaint.
But. Among the appeals I received were not referrals for treatment after injuries, for urgent and planned surgeries, consequences of severe contusions, panic attacks and acute post-traumatic disorders, etc. It is not difficult to understand that in this situation, the effectiveness of combat missions is low, and the mortality rate among servicemen due to diseases will increase. In addition, in the case of an untreated mental disorder, a serviceman can pose a danger either to himself or to his comrades," the military ombudsman wrote.
According to her, it becomes clear from the appeals that ignoring medical recommendations, even from the doctors of their own unit, is often the position of the commander. The lack of individualized approach and consideration leads to the fact that servicemen suffer from illnesses for months and are often forced to go to the MHU to receive the necessary medical care.
Transfer between military units. I think you know everything about this. In November, servicemen were promised a quick and clear transfer through Army+. But very often, commanders do not comply with the transfer order or deliberately transfer servicemen against their will to other positions, which makes it difficult to fulfill the order. Yesterday, an officer told me directly: "We will not allow people to steal from us." But military personnel are not commodities. They go to serve where they feel respected. Therefore, the manning of a unit is the first indicator of a commander's leadership skills,
She also spoke about the problem of non-renewal after SPS.
Let me start by saying that the problem of HRW is a complex one, and to a certain extent it is a consequence of the failure to ensure the rights of military personnel, a constant situation of uncertainty for the personnel, exhaustion, and in some cases, fear of death, which is quite natural for a living person. My consistent position is that when it comes to such emotional states, no fear of criminal liability can overcome them. And the solution to this problem should be sought in another plane, where it is about motivation, trust in the commander and fear of letting him down, brotherhood and moral responsibility for betraying a fellow soldier
She notes that there are cases when servicemen have been in their units for more than four months after the JFO, but they are not reinstated in service and are not paid their salaries. This is due to delays in the consideration of their cases by the State Bureau of Investigation. The delay concerns the receipt of documents, consideration of motions for exemption from criminal liability, and referral of cases to court.
Even after a court decision to close the criminal case and release him from liability, his service is not resumed due to the lack of a mechanism for this.
To solve this problem, amendments to the Regulations on Military Service are needed. As far as I know, they are already being developed in the Armed Forces. As for changes to the regulations of other military formations, the question is still open, we will find out
She also says that the third problem she faced was prisoners of war and missing persons.
At the same time, the state has a whole "infrastructure" for working with families of missing persons. This process involves the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Iryna Vereshchuk, who coordinates this activity on behalf of the President's Office, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, the Commissioner for Missing Persons, and the Civil-Military Cooperation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"Nevertheless, my relatives still have questions, in particular about communication with military units, the appointment of an internal investigation, the provision of internal investigation reports, etc. In response to my next request for the report, an officer from one of the units asked me: "What difference does it make to them where he disappeared?". For me, this is about the misunderstanding of two obvious truths by some commanders:
- accurately and clearly established circumstances and coordinates of the place of disappearance directly affect further searches;
- The relatives of missing and killed servicemen have the right to know the truth about what happened," emphasized Reshetylova.
According to her, a series of meetings between relatives of missing persons and prisoners of war with representatives of the units are currently planned.
And finally, about the most difficult and terrible thing - torture, beatings and ill-treatment. So far, I have received 6 appeals with such complaints,
She said that in one of the appeals, where the applicants provided a video, they managed to quickly identify the person who tortured a soldier with a stun gun in front of the line. The perpetrator was the battalion commander. As it turned out, bullying and beatings, often for no reason, were a systematic practice in this unit.
Based on her statement, the SBI opened criminal proceedings and launched an internal investigation. The commander was suspended from duty. She thanked everyone who responded promptly to the situation.
We are processing the rest of the appeals and clarifying the circumstances. If the torture and beatings are confirmed, we will write a statement to the State Bureau of Investigation and send a letter to the command with a request to initiate an internal investigation,
Recall
On December 30, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed the first military ombudsman, Olha Reshetylova. UNN has gathered information about who she is and what she did before her appointment.
