Improving access to justice for war veterans and their family members: Supreme Court hosts meeting of the specialized Expert Group

Inter-institutional cooperation to improve access to justice for war veterans and their family members, problematic issues regarding the realization by combatants of the right to early old-age pension, clear and understandable mechanisms for protecting the rights of war veterans, the effectiveness of administrative procedures, standards of quality legal aid, and awareness-raising. These topics were discussed at the Supreme Court by judges, representatives of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine, the Pension Fund of Ukraine, civil society organizations, and other experts during the second meeting of the Expert Group on Access to Justice for War Veterans and Their Family Members.

Opening the meeting, Vice President of the Supreme Court and First Deputy Chairman of the Expert Group Oleksandr Mamalui noted that under the conditions of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the number of war veterans is growing. As of May 2026, there are already 1.47 million combatants in Ukraine, and the total number of veterans reaches 2 million. “Therefore, as representatives of state and interstate organizations and legal associations, we must make every effort to help war veterans gain access to all state services, including in the field of justice. For its part, the Supreme Court is ready for further cooperation with the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine in implementing the developments of the Expert Group,” Oleksandr Mamalui emphasized.

Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine and Chairman of the Expert Group Farkhad Farkhadov, together with Tetiana Hrebeniuk, judge of the Commercial Court of Kyiv Region and member of the Expert Group, presented the current results of the Expert Group’s activities. Thus, by Decision No. 13 of the Council of Judges of Ukraine dated May 22, 2026, practical guidelines for courts were approved that will already contribute to ensuring access to justice for war veterans and their family members, as well as ethical communication. These include: Methodological Recommendations on Ensuring Barrier-Free Access, Inclusiveness, and Proper Legal Assistance for Veterans (Male and Female) in the Administration of Justice; Methodological Recommendations on Ethical Communication with Veterans (Male and Female) Who Are Court Staff; Memo for Court Staff on Communication with Veterans (Male and Female).

In addition, work continues on deepening inter-institutional cooperation on this issue. In particular, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine has signed memoranda of cooperation with the Ukrainian National Bar Association and the National School of Judges of Ukraine. In the future, a memorandum is also planned to be signed with the Supreme Court.

The members of the Expert Group identified further steps to develop the “Legal Protection” section on the “Veteran PRO” web portal in order to provide users with an accessible algorithm for protecting their rights, and outlined the directions for organising the Expert Group’s future work.

Judges of the Supreme Court in the Criminal Cassation Court Halyna Kret, Viktor Ostapuk, and Serhii Fomin also took part in the meeting.