President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted Draft Law No. 13266 on the Military Ombudsman to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration.
According to the draft law, the President will appoint the Military Ombudsman and their deputies. A Military Ombudsman’s Office will also be established as an auxiliary body under the President to carry out the functions of civilian democratic oversight in the security and defense sector, as provided for by the Law of Ukraine “On National Security of Ukraine.”
The draft law also outlines the procedures for submitting and reviewing complaints from military personnel, conducting inspections in military units and military command bodies in connection with violations of servicemembers’ rights, and preparing conclusions, as well as coordinating the Military Ombudsman’s interaction with other government bodies.
“People and their rights and freedoms as the main value – this is what fundamentally distinguishes us from the enemy and what will ultimately help us prevail,” said the Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Military Personnel and Their Families, Olha Kobylynska (Reshetylova).
She expressed her gratitude to the Head of State for the initiative aimed at protecting the rights of servicemembers, as well as to the Minister of Defense, officers of the Central Department for the Protection of Servicemembers’ Rights at the Ministry of Defense, experts, and civil society representatives who contributed to the development of the draft law.