Advocates will be assigned to the brigades: results of the UNBA Committee meeting

During a meeting of the UNBA Committee on the protection of victims of armed aggression against Ukraine, compensation mechanisms and European integration legal support for recovery participants discussed a comprehensive approach to providing legal support for military personnel.

The Committee meeting was attended by Committee chairman Andriy Yermak, deputy chairman Zhanna Hrusko, Committee members, relevant experts and a representative of the Office of the Military Ombudsman.

The discussion focused on a combined model for legal support for military personnel — a combination of online tools and in-person consultations directly within military units.

The «Advocate+» model (the name of the pilot project) will provide military personnel with systematic primary legal assistance at the brigade level. It is based on digital routing via a website and a chatbot for simple, high-volume inquiries, as well as live primary consultations and legal support within units for more complex cases.

The project will launch in a test phase for three brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard. Advocates will be assigned to the units — serving as the first point of contact for service members on typical legal matters: consultations, clarifications, assistance with drafting reports, statements, and complaints, and determining the course of action in specific situations. Consultations will last for one month; if a case requires full legal representation, it will be provided under a separate agreement.

Zh. Hrusko emphasized that «Advocate+» is primarily intended for active-duty service members, particularly those undergoing treatment or rehabilitation, and eventually for their family members and those subject to military service. The idea is to handle simple and high-volume inquiries using pre-built algorithms and digital tools, while referring complex cases to specialists. As an example of the need for offline support, she cited the issue of a servicemember’s transfer: sometimes the problem lies not in an actual refusal, but in a failure to follow the proper procedure.

Committee member Ihor Fomin noted that the project should provide not only assistance in individual cases but also material for systematic work: typical problems are planned to be summarized and communicated in this form to government agencies and military authorities. As an example, A. Yermak cited the issue of awards, which should be addressed systematically in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff. Other typical requests include mobilization, medical examinations, and financial support.

Practical steps and future plans: as part of the project’s preparation, over 30 guidelines with explanations and action algorithms regarding the most common issues faced by military personnel have already been drafted; they are scheduled to be presented at the next Committee meeting. Committee members will visit pilot brigades, review the first requests, and, based on the experience gained, refine the «Advocate+» model and the technical solutions to support it. Next steps include systematizing the experience and scaling up the initiative, as well as building a broader network of advocates ready to join the project.