President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree establishing the Office of the Military Ombudsman and appointed the first Military Ombudsman, Olha Reshetylova (Kobylynska), who previously served as the Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Military Personnel and Their Families.
“I thank the members of parliament for passing my bill on the Military Ombudsman. This is about the real protection of our warriors’ rights. The law has already been signed and published. Today, I signed a decree to put it into effect – a decree establishing the Office of the Military Ombudsman,” the President noted.
The Head of State also approved the regulations on the Office of the Military Ombudsman. It will serve as a permanent advisory body under the President of Ukraine, ensuring civilian oversight of the protection of rights for all personnel in the Defense Forces — including current servicemembers, members of volunteer formations of territorial communities, reservists during training, participants in the resistance movement in temporarily occupied territories, as well as law enforcement personnel involved in direct combat during martial law.
The Military Ombudsman will address problematic issues related to military service and review complaints, may initiate inspections, and work on solutions. The Ombudsman will report annually to the President and the Verkhovna Rada.
“Ahead of us is the launch of this institution and its systemic work. It is important that this is felt at every level of Ukraine’s Defense Forces – we are taking measures to strengthen our army, and we are also taking measures to strengthen the warriors in our army,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded.