The Military Ombudsman has received over 8,000 complaints from soldiers
The Military Ombudsman, Olga Reshetilova, reported on this during a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to the Office of the President.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Military Ombudsman Olga Reshetilova regarding the protection of servicemen’s rights.
During the meeting, Reshetilova reported that in its first four months of operation, the Office of the Military Ombudsman had processed over 8,000 complaints from military personnel. According to her, the rights of thousands of military personnel have been restored.
Most of the complaints relate to medical treatment and referrals to military medical commissions.
What are military personnel complaining about?
One of the key issues raised is military personnel’s access to medical treatment and medical boards.
The Office of the Military Ombudsman also raises issues regarding the transparency of pay calculations, the recording of additional payments, and transparent financial record-keeping within the military.
A separate area of work is the protection of the rights of foreign nationals and stateless persons fighting on Ukraine’s side.
Commanders must not ignore problems
During her meeting with the President, Reshetilova also spoke about systemic violations in certain units of the Defence Forces.
She emphasised that commanders must be prepared to resolve problems, rather than sweeping them under the carpet.
The Office of the Military Ombudsman proposes establishing cooperation with the Ministry of Defence, the General Staff and other bodies within the security and defence sector.
Analytical centre and forum in Kyiv
The Office of the Military Ombudsman is developing an analytical centre to investigate the causes and circumstances of violations of servicemen’s rights.
The plan is to share this data with military authorities so that it is taken into account when decisions are made.
Following the report, Zelenskyy supported the idea of holding the first international forum of military ombudsmen in Kyiv. Ukraine can share with its partners its experience of establishing a system to protect the rights of military personnel during a full-scale war.
Why this matters
The work of the Military Ombudsman highlights the scale of the problems faced by military personnel not only on the front line, but also in terms of logistics, medical care, pay and interaction with the command.
Over 8,000 complaints in four months is a sign that the issue of protecting servicemen’s rights requires not piecemeal responses, but systemic solutions.
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