Zelenskyy appoints Olha Reshetilova as Ukraine’s first military ombudsman

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Olha Reshetilova as the first military ombudsman. The new position is intended to ensure the protection of the rights of all military personnel, reservists, and volunteers.

This was announced in the decree of the President.

This morning, the President of Ukraine signed a decree appointing Olha Reshetilova (Kobylinska) as the military ombudsman. By another decree, the Head of State dismissed her from the position of the President’s Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Military Personnel and Their Families.

Thus, Reshetylova became the first military ombudsman in the history of Ukraine.

"This is about the real protection of the rights of our warriors. It is important that this is felt at all levels in the Defence Forces of Ukraine: we do what strengthens the army, and we do what strengthens the warriors in our army," Zelenskyy noted.

In addition, as stated in the announcement, active work continues on the establishment of the Office of the Military Ombudsman. The decree on its creation was signed by the Head of State on September 19 of this year, and its regulations were also approved.

"The main priority now is the launch of the Office of the Military Ombudsman. At the same time, it is important not to lose momentum in processing and responding to appeals and complaints from military personnel. Both in the status of the President’s Commissioner and as the military ombudsman, I will work to ensure a sense of security for the military and to restore justice for them," Reshetylova emphasized.

The Office of the Military Ombudsman will be a permanent auxiliary body under the President of Ukraine, ensuring civilian oversight of the observance of the rights of all Defence Forces - active military personnel, fighters of volunteer formations of territorial communities, reservists in training, participants in the resistance movement in occupied territories, and law enforcement officers involved in combat operations.

The military ombudsman will address problematic issues related to military service, review complaints, may initiate inspections, and develop solutions.

Olha Reshetilova is a co-founder of the "Come Back Alive" foundation for supporting the Ukrainian army. She was involved in coordinating the foundation’s work with security structures and directly with the forces and means of the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine.

Reshetilova has repeatedly visited Ukrainian military personnel in combat zones, where she encountered human rights violations. In 2015, she left "Come Back Alive" and began working on journalistic and public investigations of violations in the security sector.

In 2019, the Cabinet of Ministers appointed Reshetylova as a member of the Commission for the Selection of the Head of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention.