The Office of the Military Ombudsman presents its work at NATO Headquarters for the first time
"It is important for Ukraine not only to adopt the best NATO standards but also to share its own experience. The establishment of the Office of the Military Ombudsman is a unique example in modern history of forming a state system for protecting the rights of military personnel during a full-scale war," noted Olha Reshetylova during her speech at the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council Political Affairs Committee at the Alliance's Headquarters in Brussels.
During the previous dialogue within the framework of NATO-Ukraine cooperation in November 2025, the parties identified strengthening democratic civilian oversight of the security and defense sector and developing state mechanisms for the protection of military personnel's rights as one of the key priorities for 2026.
Ukraine has done its homework — the Office of the Military Ombudsman began its work on January 27 of this year. Therefore, the meeting in Brussels organized by the NATO Representation to Ukraine became an important signal of support and recognition of Ukrainian achievements in this field.
We thank Tanya Hartmann, Head of the Eastern Partnership at NATO, who moderated the committee meeting, for her consistent efforts to support Ukraine. Following the 20-minute speech by the Military Ombudsman, committee members asked questions regarding various aspects of protecting the rights of military personnel for over two hours. Olha Reshetylova noted the committee members' deep awareness of internal processes within the Ukrainian military and thanked them for their support of Ukraine and openness to dialogue.
Separately, alongside the Head of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO, Alyona Getmanchuk, possibilities for interaction and support from NATO member states to strengthen our capabilities in the sphere of democratic civilian oversight were discussed. At the same time, it was noted that the Ukrainian experience gained under conditions of full-scale war remains valuable to the allies.
