"Dignity Always Wins": Address by the Military Ombudsman to the NATO-Ukraine Council Political Committee

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you very much for your kind invitation. It is a great honour for me to represent the newly established Office of the Military Ombudsperson of Ukraine here at NATO Headquarters.

Today, I would like to tell you a story. Not only the story of a new institution. But the story of how a country at war is trying to remain democratic while fighting for its survival.

Since Russia launched its aggression against Ukraine in 2014 — and especially since the full-scale invasion in 2022 — we have faced a fundamental question: How do we build an effective military while remaining faithful to the principles of democracy and human rights? How do we build the largest army in Europe without losing our humanity? How do we protect the dignity of servicemen and servicewomen who, every single day, carry out the most difficult missions and look death in the face?

These are not philosophical questions. For Ukraine, they have become practical ones.

Unlike many European countries, which established military ombuds institutions after the Second World War, Ukraine had no such institution. The idea first emerged after 2014, when we began rebuilding our Armed Forces almost from scratch. Civil society, military professionals, lawyers, and human rights experts all agreed that the army needed an independent mechanism capable of protecting the rights of those who defend the country.

Then, in 2022, Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Like many democratic reforms, this discussion had to stop. Our first priority became survival.

Only after stabilising the front and pushing Russian forces away from Kyiv were we able to return to this idea. In November 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that establishing the institution of the Military Ombudsperson would become one of Ukraine's priorities for 2025.

Throughout the following year, we debated what this institution should look like. There were intense discussions in Parliament, with civil society, legal experts, military commanders, and, most importantly, with servicemembers themselves. In the end, we reached one simple conclusion: if the Military Ombudsperson is expected to solve problems from within the military system — not merely criticise it from the outside — then the institution must have sufficient authority to act.

That is why Parliament decided that the Military Ombudsperson should operate under the authority of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief — the President of Ukraine. Not to reduce its independence, but to ensure its effectiveness. Because in wartime, protecting rights cannot become a lengthy bureaucratic process.

In September 2025, Parliament adopted the Law on the Military Ombudsman. One month later, the President signed the decree establishing our Office and appointed me as Ukraine's first Military Ombudsperson. According to the Law, our mission is to provide civilian democratic oversight across the entire security and defence sector. The Military Ombudsperson must always be a civilian, while military personnel may serve within the Office, helping us understand military service from the inside. We conduct inspections of military units. We have unrestricted access to military facilities, including those located close to the frontline. And our lawful requests are binding for military authorities.

This is not simply another complaints office. It is an institution designed to solve systemic problems before they become strategic ones.

Parliament gave us one year to establish the institution. But we understood that Ukrainian servicemen and servicewomen could not wait one year. They needed protection immediately. As soon as the President signed the decree, our team began working around the clock, and on 27 January 2026, the Office officially started its work.

In just six months, we have received more than 9,500 complaints, conducted almost 2,000 inspections, and helped restore the rights of thousands of servicemembers.

But numbers alone do not tell the real story. Behind every complaint is a human being. A wounded soldier unable to receive proper medical care. A family waiting for information. A commander trying to solve problems without the necessary tools. A serviceman who simply wants to be treated fairly.

Since our establishment, we have faced a profound challenge: how to protect the fundamental right to life of our military personnel in the context of war, where death is a professional risk. To minimize this risk, many factors must be taken into account: oversight of training, the quality of equipment, operational planning, and battlefield evacuation. This requires daily monitoring. That is why we are developing a dedicated analytics department to study the combat deployment of troops strictly from the perspective of protecting the rights of service members. This is unique knowledge, and we are ready to share it with our partners.

The second greatest risk to our personnel is injury and trauma. You can see this in the handouts provided to you today: complaints regarding treatment and medical provision rank first in total numbers. Unfortunately, servicemembers are losing their health, sustaining severe injuries and concussions, which places an immense burden on our medical system. We are deeply grateful for the Defense and Security Sector Committee's Renovator project, and we urge you to continue it.

Beyond the battlefield, there is the grave risk of falling into captivity. Our office has recently developed a course on conduct in captivity, based on the harrowing experience of thousands of servicemembers who have returned from Russian captivity. But internal preparation is not enough. We must maintain relentless international pressure on Russia to return Ukrainian prisoners of war, who are systematically subjected to cruel treatment and torture.

Furthermore, a deeply painful issue for Ukrainian society today is the tragedy of those missing in action. Ukraine is currently developing a system of patronage services within military units to provide essential support to the families of the missing. The specialists involved require training, and the support system itself needs international backing to grow. It is vital to uphold the families' right to honor their heroes with dignity, making search operations and the identification of bodies incredibly important. First and foremost, this depends on Russia: if the Russians truly wanted peace, as they constantly declare, they could at the very least ensure the safety of search missions in the temporarily occupied territories.

These heartbreaking realities highlight why our work goes far beyond investigating individual complaints. Most violations are symptoms of deeper systemic problems, and sometimes, of the mistaken belief that human rights somehow weaken military discipline.

Our experience has shown exactly the opposite. Respect for human dignity is not an obstacle to military effectiveness. It is one of its foundations.

For us, protecting the rights of military personnel is not only about justice. It is about combat capability. It is about resilience. It is about national security.

We are helping Ukraine transform its military culture. To leave behind the legacy of the Soviet army. To build leadership instead of fear. Responsibility instead of blind obedience. Trust instead of intimidation. Because modern armed forces must rely on professionalism, leadership, and respect for human dignity.

Throughout my speech, I have spoken about many rights. The right to dignity. The right to fair treatment. The right to proper medical care. The right to justice.

But there is one right that stands above them all.

The right of Ukrainian servicemen and servicewomen to win this war.

They did not choose this war. They did not seek to conquer anyone. They are defending their homes, their families, their freedom — and, in many ways, the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic community. They have earned the right to victory through their courage, their sacrifice, and their resilience. And they deserve our unwavering support in achieving it.

Because every decision we make, every reform we implement, every institution we build, and every partnership we strengthen should ultimately serve one purpose: to help the people who defend our freedom prevail.

Our office has a simple motto: "Dignity Always Wins."

For us, this is not just a slogan. It is a strategic principle. Human rights do not stand in the way of victory. They are one of the conditions for victory.

Dignity is the secret weapon our enemy does not have.

Thank you!