Overview

• President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the decree on 19 September establishing the Office of the Military Ombudsman and approving its operating regulations.
• The Verkhovna Rada passed the underlying law on 17 September, enabling the institution’s formal launch.
• Olga Reshetylova was appointed as the first military ombudsman to lead the office from inception.
• The office will oversee rights across all Defense Forces, covering active service members, volunteer territorial units, reservists in training, resistance participants in occupied areas, and law enforcement engaged in combat operations.
• The ombudsman is empowered to consider complaints, order inspections, develop solutions to service-related issues, and deliver annual reports to the president and parliament.