Cabinet resolution #1041 of September 10, 2024 

Decision-maker: the Cabinet of Ministers 

Status: in effect since September 10, 2024 

Who is affected: service members, law enforcement officers, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Veterans Affairs, military units, and law enforcement agencies 

Summary: 

  • the resolution approved the procedure for granting combat veteran status automatically during martial law 
  • the Ministry of Veterans Affairs is obliged to finalize the Unified State Register of War Veterans within the next four months to ensure the technical capability to process information necessary for granting combat veteran status and connect security and defense sector agencies to the register 
  • the Ministry of Defense is instructed to develop and maintain the Directory of Combat Operations Areas as defined by the Commander-in-Chief, necessary for assigning the combat veteran status 
  • the automatic obtaining of the combat veteran status applies to all service members, law enforcement officers, and members of voluntary military formations of territorial communities, except for employees of the SSU and intelligence agencies, who receive the combat veteran status under the old procedure 
  • grounds for automatic obtaining of the combat veteran status are data confirming that the person performed combat (service or special) tasks in combat operations areas or temporarily occupied territories during martial law 
  • the Cabinet approved the list of information to be included in the Unified State Register of War Veterans. It includes personal identification data (full name, rank, position, and other data), as well as information about the period, location, and order under which the person performed combat tasks. This data will be submitted to the register within five days after the commencement of a combat order or service (special) task in combat areas or temporarily occupied territories 
  • commanders of military units are responsible for the accuracy of information submitted to the register 
  • the combat veteran status is considered granted if there is a corresponding record in the register 
  • a person is notified about being assigned the combat veteran status via email if such information is available in the register or via an authorized representative of the military unit that maintains the register 
  • to confirm the combat veteran status, a certificate from the register must be obtained. 

What is right: 

  • the process of obtaining combat veteran status is significantly simplified, there will be less red tape and corruption risks in the process 
  • the state will have the data about individuals who have obtained the combat veteran status in the register. 

What is wrong: if the data about current combat orders is leaked from the register, it may lead to a disclosure of information about the numerical and personal composition of troops executing combat tasks. 

Background information: on December 2, 2023, a law came into effect that allows obtaining combat veteran status via the submission of applications not only in paper form but also electronically via Diia and/or the Unified State Register of War Veterans. 

Additional information: 

Ok, So What? podcast, ep. 132: Will it be possible to get combat veteran status online?