The Office of the Military Ombudsman has officially started its work
The newspaper “Holos Ukrainy” announced the official start of the Military Ombudsman’s operations on 27 January 2026.
The Office of the Military Ombudsman is a permanent auxiliary body established by the President of Ukraine to ensure democratic civilian control over the security and defense sector.
What will change?
- Complaints instead of appeals. From now on, the Office of the Military Ombudsman will consider complaints from servicemembers instead of general appeals. The review process will take 10 days rather than 30 days as before. In cases where there is a threat to the life or health of a servicemember, the response time will be reduced to three days.
- Inspections. The Office team is authorized to conduct comprehensive inspections within military formations.
- Urgent access. The Military Ombudsman has the right to urgent access to the heads of state authorities, military command bodies, and commanders of military formations.
What was before?
Before the official launch of the Office as an institution, the team of the Military Ombudsman did everything possible to address the problems servicemembers faced:
- processed appeals;
- conducted on-site monitoring visits to military units;
- provided recommendations to military command bodies on resolving problems identified within the armed forces.
Prior to her appointment as Military Ombudsman, Olha Reshetylova (Kobylynska) for nearly ten months acted as the Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for the Protection of the Rights of Servicemembers and Their Family Members. This position involved advisory and coordination roles. At the same time, together with the Office of the President and the Main Directorate for the Protection of Servicemembers’ Rights of the Ministry of Defence, Olha Reshetylova worked on the draft law “On the Military Ombudsman,” which was adopted on 17 September 2025.
How to submit a complaint?
- By email: skarha@milomb.gov.ua
- A hotline and the opportunity to submit a complaint through the Army+ application will be available soon.
“The next step will be the adoption of a law introducing administrative liability for non-compliance with the lawful requirements of the Military Ombudsman. The office team and I are fully aware of the responsibility entrusted to the institution, as well as the high expectations and close attention to our work,” commented Military Ombudsman Olha Reshetylova.