On September 2, 2025, the NGO “Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners” presented an analytical note “Without a Roof Over Their Heads: Why the Right to Housing for Released Civilians Remains on Paper” at the Media Center Ukraine (Kyiv).
The document summarizes the results of a study of 381 territorial communities and demonstrates that no systematic answer to the problem of providing housing for people who have survived illegal imprisonment exists in Ukraine today.
The problem: the right exists, but it does not work. Law of Ukraine No. 2010-ИХ (2022) guarantees those released from captivity the priority right to temporary housing. However, Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 495, which determines the mechanisms for providing housing, does not single out this category as a priority, which is why the right actually remains declarative.
Igor Kotelyanets, head of the organization: “People return from captivity in a situation of double vulnerability: they are victims of war crimes and at the same time internally displaced persons. The right to housing is enshrined in the law, but in practice it is not implemented.”
What the study showed
The study of 381 communities showed:
- only 8% have social housing;
- 86% do not have any programs;
- only 2 communities (0.5%) confirmed the presence of special measures for released persons.
Svitlana Odintsova, legal analyst:
“There are no programs in 329 communities. Released civilians are not taken into account as a separate vulnerable category. As a result, local authorities simply do not know what to do. This means that people are left alone with the problem.”
The personal stories of the released clearly showed the scale of the challenges.
Serhiy Davydyuk, released civilian: “After captivity, I returned and realized that I had nowhere to go. This feeling of a second punishment - you are free, but without a home.”
Olena Yagupova, released civilian: “We return from captivity exhausted, and the state does not create conditions for recovery. Housing is the first and basic need. Without it, it is impossible to start a new life.”
Representatives of the Ministry of Social Policy, Odessa and Zaporizhzhia OVA, Buchanan City Council were invited to participate.
Viktoriya Gerasimenko, Head of the Social Development Department of Zaporizhzhia OVA: “In Zaporizhzhia region, we introduced one-time payments of 50 thousand hryvnias for victims. But this is not enough. We need a separate state program and real financing of housing.”
Recommendations
For state authorities:
- amend Resolution No. 495, identifying released civilians as a priority category;
- develop standard housing programs and provide communities with instructions on their implementation.
For local governments:
- keep records of dismissed persons as a separate group;- include them in local housing programs;
- use reserve premises and provide quotas in social housing funds.
For international donors and partners:
- support financing of temporary housing programs with social support;- invest in the reconstruction of existing buildings for temporary housing;
- fund advocacy initiatives that increase pressure on the state to implement this right.
Read the analytical note here: https://www.relativespp.org/analytics-ens/analytical-note-without-a-roof-over-your-head-the-right-to-housing-for-released-civilians-still-remains-a-declaration-ixlt3
The event was held by the NGO "Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners" with the support of the "Askold and Dir" Foundation, which is administered by ISAR Unity within the framework of the project "Strong Civil Society of Ukraine - a Driver of Reforms and Democracy" funded by Norway and Sweden.
