Ukraine - September 2025

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on 19 September defining the legal status, objectives and organization of the Office of the Military Ombudsman, two days after the Verkhovna Rada passed a law authorizing the same. The Ombudsman is tasked with protecting the rights of servicemembers and will hear and address their complaints, resolve disputes between soldiers and their commanders, and carry out inspections to ensure that their human rights are not being violated. Civil society experts have criticized several aspects of the law, including constitutionally questionable rules for appointing staff, unclear guidelines for filing complaints, and long deadlines for investigating and responding to complaints. The law was welcomed in general as a step forward given servicemembers’ acute vulnerability while the country is under invasion. Although the legal framework governing the office was passed recently, Olha Reshetylova was already named as the Ombudsman and has served in the office since December 2024.

Sources: Reanimation Packet of Reforms, President of Ukraine, Ukrainska Pravda, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Pryncyp