Draft bill #9681 of September 4, 2023 

Cosponsors: a group of 16 MPs from the European Solidarity faction with Petro Poroshenko as the first signatory 

Status: adopted in the first reading 

Who is affected: members of the Territorial Defense Forces, Armed Forces of Ukraine, National Guard, Security Service, Foreign Intelligence Service, Border Guard Service, Special Transport Service, Administration of State Guard, State Special Communications and Information Protection Service, State Emergency Service, as well as customs officers, police officers, tax officials, volunteers who performed combat tasks, and the Ministry of Defense 

Summary:  

the bill changes the procedure for obtaining combat veteran status for service members who performed combat tasks during martial law, persons who are undergoing treatment or are on sick leave due to injuries received in combat, and persons who were taken prisoner during the execution of a combat task (excluding those who surrendered voluntarily) or are hostages, as well as interned in neutral countries and missing persons: 

  • for obtaining combat veteran status, a combat order from the commander of the corresponding military unit about the direct execution of combat tasks in the war zone is required 
  • the commander of the military unit is obliged to send the order electronically to the Unified State Registry of War Veterans no later than three days from the day the order is issued 
  • if it is not possible to send the order electronically, the commander must send a paper copy to the Registry holder no later than thirty days from the day the order is given 
  • the Registry holder, no later than thirty days from the receipt of the order, issues an electronic personal card with information about the acquisition of combat veteran status. This card is sent to the service member’s phone 
  • the Registry holder uses the information from the Unified State Web Portal of Electronic Services 
  • it is prohibited to demand additional documents to obtain combat veteran status 
  • a service member can request to receive a paper version of the combat veteran certificate 
  • the Registry of Electronic Personal Cards of Combat Veterans is a part of the Unified State Registry of War Veterans. 

What is right: 

  • simplifies the procedure for obtaining combat veteran status 

What is wrong:  

  • does not consider the specifics of obtaining the status by law enforcement officers and some other state agencies, as they cannot receive a combat order from a military unit 
  • does not define the penalty for officials of the Registry holder for not including the necessary data 
  • does not define the procedure for deprivation of combat veteran status 
  • since combat orders are classified at least the level of “secret”, it is not advisable to send them electronically without the additional protection of this information. 

Alternative solution: the bill should be amended before the second reading.