Military Ombudsman’s Office of Ukraine proposes counting one day in captivity as three days of service

The Military Ombudsman’s Office of Ukraine proposes introducing additional social guarantees for military personnel by counting one day of captivity as three days of military service towards their length of service, the institution reported. Such a draft law has been sent to the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security.

Illustrative photo from open sources

Currently, under the law, military personnel who have survived Russian captivity are not entitled to benefits when calculating their length of service and pension.

“While in captivity, they are deprived of the opportunity to continue their service, develop professionally and accrue length of service. Therefore, applying the general calculation procedure to them does not take into account all the circumstances and consequences of what they have experienced,” the institution noted.

The Military Ombudsman’s Office has prepared a legislative proposal to count one day of captivity as three days of military service towards the length of service – both for granting a pension and for calculating its amount. The draft law was sent to the parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence. The institution’s team is urging Ukrainian MPs to support the proposal.

To provide background, ZMINA previously reported that the Military Ombudsman’s Office had sent nearly 30 proposals to improve legislation to the President’s Office, parliament, the government and relevant ministries. Draft laws on counting participation in hostilities towards a term of imprisonment and on harmonising the grounds for granting a deferment from mobilisation with the grounds for dismissal from military service were also sent to the National Security Committee.

The Military Ombudsman’s Office urged the Ukrainian parliament to support draft law No. 13267 in the second reading, which will expand the institution’s powers. In particular, the military ombudsman will have the right to draw up administrative protocols and hold commanders and officials of all levels accountable through the courts.

You may also want to read: LGBTIQ+ service members still face hostility within units and cannot register civil partnerships – study

ZMINA previously also reported that the Military Ombudsman’s Office launched a contact centre for military personnel’s appeals regarding violations of their rights during service. Calls are accepted by calling 1510.

Stay connected with us via X, Bluesky and LinkedIn – and while you’re here, please spare five minutes to fill out our survey and tell us what you’d like to see next.