Ukraine's Defence Ministry to stop appealing certain court rulings on dead and missing soldiers
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence announced on 24 September that it will not appeal court decisions in certain categories of cases related to the death or disappearance of military personnel. Deputy Defence Minister Liubov Halan said the policy aims to shorten the time between a court decision and the processing of payments, benefits and social guarantees for families.
Key points
- Announcement made on Thursday, 24 September by Deputy Defence Minister Liubov Halan.
- Policy covers cases declaring a servicemember dead, establishing the fact of death, correcting family-relationship records, establishing paternity, and securing payments linked to disappearance or captivity.
- Non-appeal applies only when the military unit's position and service investigation materials confirm the relevant circumstances and the court followed the law and Supreme Court practice.
- Each case will still be assessed individually; decisions that violate the Ministry's rights or legitimate interests will be appealed.
- Families can contact the Ministry of Defence hotline at 1512 if a qualifying court decision is nevertheless challenged.
- On 31 July, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine has lost about 50,000 servicemembers killed since the start of the full-scale invasion, with around 400,000 wounded and a large number missing.
Why it matters
By dropping routine appeals in clearly documented cases, the Ministry of Defence aims to shorten the wait for families seeking legally mandated payments, benefits and social guarantees after a servicemember's death, disappearance or capture. Because the policy spans several common categories — declarations of death, fact-of-death rulings, name corrections, paternity, and captivity- or disappearance-linked payments — it could affect a large volume of family claims. The Ministry retains the right to assess each case individually and to appeal any ruling that violates its own rights or interests.
What happened
On 24 September, Deputy Defence Minister Liubov Halan announced that the Ministry of Defence will no longer appeal court decisions in a defined set of cases connected to the death or disappearance of military personnel. The policy covers five categories: declaring a servicemember dead, establishing the fact of death, correcting family-relationship records affected by inaccuracies in surnames or names, establishing paternity through molecular-genetic examination, and establishing facts needed to receive payments linked to disappearance or captivity. For the non-appeal path to apply, the military unit's official position and, where relevant, service investigation materials must confirm the servicemember's status, the unit must be participating in the case, and the court must have ruled in line with the law and Supreme Court practice. The Ministry stressed that each case will still be examined individually and that decisions harming the Ministry's interests will continue to be appealed. Families can call the Ministry's hotline at 1512 if a qualifying decision is nevertheless challenged.
Background
The 24 September announcement was made by Deputy Defence Minister Liubov Halan. On 31 July, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine has lost approximately 50,000 servicemembers killed since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, with around 400,000 wounded and a large number missing. Families with concerns about a court decision can reach the Ministry of Defence through its 1512 hotline.