Over the past six months, our Organization, together with other профильні civil society organizations, has worked on developing recommendations for amendments to the current Law of Ukraine “On Social and Legal Protection of Persons in Respect of Whom the Fact of Deprivation of Personal Liberty as a Result of Armed Aggression against Ukraine Has Been Established, and Members of Their Families.”

The development of the proposed amendments involved civil society organizations that participated in the roundtable “Three Years of the Law on Protection of Civilians in Russian Captivity: How to Make Support Effective” in October 2025, as well as representatives of the Committee of NGOs of Civilian Captives of the Kremlin. The Committee includes профильні organizations that work directly with individuals affected by unlawful deprivation of liberty, including “Civilians Free,” “Path of the Free,” “Come on, Sisters!”, “Civilians in Captivity,” “Civilian Prisoners,” “Free to Live,” “November 11,” and the NGO “Association of Relatives of Political Prisoners of the Kremlin.”

The result of this joint work is the Draft Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding the Improvement of Social and Legal Protection of Persons Deprived (or Who Were Deprived) of Personal Liberty as a Result of Armed Aggression against Ukraine and the Introduction of Priority Support Measures for Released (Returned) Civilian Persons.”

At present, a civilian released from captivity does not have automatic access to state assistance. In order to receive medical, psychological, or financial support, it is necessary to obtain a decision from the Commission establishing the fact of deprivation of personal liberty. In practice, this process may take several months, during which time the person effectively remains without systematic state support.

The Draft Law we propose aims to change the state’s approach to supporting civilians after release from captivity. Released civilians would be entitled to assistance immediately after their release or return, without waiting for a Commission decision confirming the fact of deprivation of personal liberty. This concerns priority support measures—medical, psychological, rehabilitation, social, documentation-related, and legal assistance. Such support would be provided both to individuals released through state procedures and to those who returned independently.

The draft law also expands the scope of persons covered by the Law and clarifies the list of family members eligible for state support. It strengthens the work of the Commission and more clearly defines the list of documents required to establish the fact of deprivation of personal liberty. Financial assistance becomes more fair and flexible: its amount would no longer be fixed but would depend on the subsistence minimum; additional payments are envisaged for persons requiring long-term inpatient treatment after release; and guarantees are introduced for released persons during the period of treatment and rehabilitation, including in the area of mobilization.

These proposed legislative amendments were presented on 12 January during the event “Ukrainian Political Prisoner Day: Remembrance and Action.” The Draft Law has already been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada, the Office of the President, and the Office of the Ombudsman. We are awaiting their official response.

You can review the comparative table of the current Law No. 2010-IX and our Draft Law.
You can also review the explanatory note.

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