When submissions lead to results: How the Ministry of Defence protects the rights of service members and their families

Throughout January, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, through its Main Directorate for the Protection of Service Members’ Rights, systematically responded to submissions from defenders and their family members. More than one hundred submissions — including statements, complaints, requests, and inquiries — led to concrete decisions, ranging from the restoration of violated rights to holding officials accountable.

Over the course of the month, the Directorate’s specialists processed 600 submissions. As a result, the rights of 135 service members and 25 family members were restored. To assess potential violations, 15 internal investigations were launched alongside on-site inspections at military units, leading to disciplinary measures against specific officials.

Most submissions from service members and their families concern service remuneration and additional payments, medical care and military medical commission procedures, service conditions and procedures, as well as adherence to military discipline — including the proper handling of request reports by commanders.

Service members and their families may submit inquiries and requests via the following channels:

• By email: please send correspondence to: [email protected];
• By postal mail (in writing): 6 Povitryanykh Syl Avenue, Kyiv, 03168;
• via the Ministry of Defence hotline at short code 1512.

To recap, last year, the Main Directorate for the Protection of Service Members’ Rights processed more than 7,600 inquiries and submissions, restoring the rights of 2,734 service members and their family members — nearly three times as many as in the previous year.