The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has signed the law “On the Military Ombudsman,” which received support from the Verkhovna Rada the day before. On September 17, 283 members of parliament voted in favor of the document in its second reading and as a whole.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Functions of the Military Ombudsman
According to the law, the military ombudsman will operate under the President of Ukraine and ensure democratic civilian oversight in the security and defense sector. The main powers of the ombudsman include receiving complaints from military personnel, conducting inspections in military units and administrative institutions, preparing reports, and interacting with other government bodies.
“The military ombudsman will work under the President of Ukraine and implement democratic civilian oversight in the security and defense sector. In particular, they will accept complaints from military personnel, conduct inspections in military units and administrative institutions, prepare reports, and interact with other government bodies,” he wrote on Facebook.
The Process of Adopting the Law and Appointing the Ombudsman
The draft law was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada for urgent consideration in May of this year, and on June 3, the document received support in its first reading. In July, the President’s Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Military Personnel and Their Families, Olga Reshetilova, noted that the final adoption was delayed due to “legislative spam.”
The institution of the military ombudsman in Ukraine was established in April 2024. At the end of that year, the President appointed human rights advocate Olga Reshetilova as the head of this body.