President signs law on military ombudsman

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, photo: press service of the Office of the President

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a law introducing the institution of a military ombudsman in Ukraine.

The relevant document (№13266) is published on the website of the Verkhovna Rada.

The military ombudsman will be appointed by the president for a five-year term, but no more than twice in a row. To support his work, the Office of the Military Ombudsman will be established as an auxiliary body of control in the security and defence sector.

In June of this year, the Parliament passed a bill that provides for the establishment of a military ombudsman, an official who will protect the rights of military personnel. The document was voted in favour by 287 MPs.

The idea to create this position arose in April 2024, when the Ministry of Defence, together with the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, established the Central Department for the Protection of Servicemen's Rights.