Building systemic cooperation with the National Guard of Ukraine to strengthen the protection of servicemembers' rights

The team of the Office of the Military Ombudsman held a series of meetings with the command of the Main Directorate of the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU), operational-territorial formations, representatives of corps, training units, and higher military educational institutions of the NGU.

The Office systematises complaints and generates analytics that allow monitoring the situation regarding the observance of servicemembers' rights in each unit. This makes it possible to see problematic issues in dynamics and assess how the command responds to them. We will regularly send analytical data to military administration bodies.

It was emphasized that the priority for the Office is to eliminate the causes of recurring complaints. This concerns not only the improper actions of commanders but also imperfect regulations, departmental instructions, or organizational processes. Therefore, the command can approach the Office with initiatives for appropriate changes.

At the request of military units, the Office is ready to provide assistance in countering AWOL (unauthorized absence), mediating conflicts, resolving medical support issues, accompanying those released from captivity, working with foreign servicemembers, etc.

"Our team regularly travels to units of the Defence Forces to identify the core of the problem: why complaints arise and what exactly is not working. The law allocates 10 working days for the Office to review a complaint, so direct interaction with the command helps clarify the circumstances more quickly. It does not replace official correspondence but reduces response time," stated Valerii Kryvonos, Director of the Department for Complaint Review and Inspections at the Office of the Military Ombudsman.