The Office of the Military Ombudsman regularly receives a significant number of complaints from service members and their lawyers concerning matters that are already pending before a court.
Please note that, in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On the Military Ombudsman," the Office does not consider complaints if the claims raised in them are the subject of any court proceedings. We are not authorized to influence court proceedings or review court decisions.
"The Office of the Military Ombudsman is not an additional level of appeal against court decisions. If a dispute has already been brought before a court, it is the court's responsibility to establish all the facts of the case and issue a decision. This principle is established by law to ensure the independence of the judiciary and to uphold the principle of the separation of powers between the judicial branch and other state institutions,"
said Oleksandr Pashynin, Director of the Department of Legal Support at the Office of the Military Ombudsman.
We kindly ask you to take the limits of the Office's mandate into account when preparing complaints. This will allow us to focus our efforts on matters where we can genuinely protect the rights of service members.