Ukrainian lawmaker registers bill on state protection for wartime Stavka and RNBO members
A bill has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada providing state protection for members of the Commander-in-Chief's Staff and the National Security and Defense Council who exercised their powers during wartime. The initiative, authored by Roman Kostenko, also proposes lifetime protection for the wartime president and would expand the State Protection Directorate's authorized headcount.
Key points
- Registration card for the bill is dated September 2.
- Initiator Roman Kostenko is the secretary of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence.
- The bill proposes 10 years of state protection for Stavka and RNBO members after their powers end, on Ukrainian territory.
- The bill proposes lifetime state protection for the wartime president and family members after presidential powers end, except in cases of impeachment.
- State protection for family members would last for the duration of the official's powers plus one year; in the event of a violent death, protection would extend through martial law plus five years.
- Already-dismissed Stavka and RNBO members who served during martial law would also qualify for 10 years of protection.
- The bill proposes raising the State Protection Directorate's authorized headcount from 2,993 to 5,500 employees.
Why it matters
The bill would formalize post-tenure security guarantees for senior wartime decision-makers in an environment where assassination attempts against Ukrainian officials have occurred or been foiled. It closes a reported legislative gap by extending state protection to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the Chief of the General Staff, and the heads of the SBU and intelligence services, and it proposes lifetime protection for the wartime president with carve-outs for impeachment and criminal convictions. It would also significantly expand the State Protection Directorate, roughly doubling its authorized headcount, and would retroactively cover officials already dismissed from the Stavka and NSDC.
What happened
A bill was registered in the Verkhovna Rada on September 2 providing state protection for members of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff and the National Security and Defense Council who exercised their powers during wartime. The initiative was authored by Roman Kostenko, secretary of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence. Under the proposal, Stavka and NSDC members would receive 10 years of state protection on Ukrainian territory after their powers end, provided they have not been sentenced to imprisonment for a criminal offense. Family members would be guaranteed security for the duration of the official's powers plus one year after termination; in the event of a violent death, protection for the family would extend through martial law plus five years. Already-dismissed members who served during martial law would also qualify for 10 years of protection. The bill proposes lifetime state protection for the wartime president and family members after presidential powers end, except in cases of impeachment. It also proposes raising the State Protection Directorate's maximum staffing from 2,993 to 5,500 employees. Kostenko said the parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence is expected to consider the bill in the near future.
Where reporting differs
Article 3554 is the only source noting that the bill also names the heads of the SBU, SZR (foreign intelligence), GUR (military intelligence) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs among those to receive wartime state protection, and that the explanatory note explicitly aims to establish lifetime state protection for the president's family.
Background
Roman Kostenko is identified as the secretary of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence and the initiator of the bill. He frames the bill as preserving key state institutions and ensuring continuity of their work, rather than targeting specific individuals. The bill's registration card on the Verkhovna Rada website is dated September 2.