A father of two was drafted after his wife's death

According to Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, the man was mobilized in May of this year. At that time, he was the only parent capable of caring for the two young children. Their mother had died, so after their father’s mobilization, the children were effectively left without either parent. The 4- and 6-year-old children—a girl and a boy—could not stay home on their own, so they lived with their grandmother for nearly two months.

According to the ombudsman, this was a source of serious stress for the children. They were waiting for their father to return home. “Children aged 4 and 6 have become hostages of the system,” Lubinets stated.

At the same time, he noted, the man had legal grounds for discharge from military service due to family circumstances. This refers to a situation where a servicemember has two minor children in his care and their mother has died.

The father submitted a request for discharge

Back in June, the man submitted a request asking to be discharged from military service due to family circumstances. In other words, he did not merely inform the command of his situation but officially filed a request. However, according to the ombudsman, the review of the request was delayed.

During this time, the man was transferred from one military unit to another. As a result, the issue of his discharge was effectively not being properly resolved. While these transfers were taking place, the two young children remained with their grandmother. The family was waiting for a decision regarding the father’s return home.

It was then that the Child Welfare Service in the family’s area of residence reached out to the ombudsman. Representatives of the service were unable to establish proper contact with the military unit or secure a resolution to the issue.

The Ombudsman Contacted the General Staff

Following the appeal from the Child Welfare Service, Dmytro Lubinets opened a case. The Ombudsman repeatedly appealed to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, asking for help in resolving the situation. According to him, it was only after his intervention that the matter began to move forward.

As a result, approximately two months after the report was submitted, the man was discharged from military service. He then returned home to his children. Thus, the children were once again in their father’s care.

Why the Problem Arose

The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner emphasized that such situations should not require the Ombudsman’s intervention. According to him, the system responsible for mobilization and processing relevant family circumstances should independently review such cases and make timely decisions. “The state mobilization system should function without the Ombudsman’s intervention,” Lubinets emphasized.

He also called this incident yet another example of the problems that remain following the reform of the Ministry of Defense system by the department’s previous leadership. The ombudsman believes that such cases highlight the need for state agencies to function properly in coordination with one another. This is particularly important in situations involving young children who are effectively dependent on one parent.

What You Need to Know About Family Circumstances

Ukrainian law provides for specific cases in which a military servicemember may be discharged from service due to family circumstances. Among these grounds is, in particular, the need to raise and support children on one’s own under certain conditions. In this situation, the key factor was that the mother of the two children had died, leaving the father as the only parent capable of supporting and raising them.

At the same time, the mere existence of family circumstances does not mean that a person is automatically discharged on the same day. The relevant documents and a report must be submitted, after which the competent authorities must review the situation. That is why Lubinets specifically emphasized the need to promptly submit documents confirming the right to a deferment from mobilization or other grounds provided for by law.

In this specific case, according to the ombudsman, the man submitted his report back in June. However, due to delays in processing and transfers between military units, a final decision was reached only after the ombudsman intervened.

The children waited nearly two months for their father

This situation was most difficult for the children themselves. They are 4 and 6 years old, and their mother has already passed away. After their father’s mobilization, they were left without the person who had always taken care of them. For nearly two months, the children lived with their grandmother. To an adult, such a period may seem relatively short, but for a small child, it is a significant amount of time. According to Lubinets, the children were stressed and anxiously awaiting their father’s return. Ultimately, the man was able to return to his family after being discharged from military service.

This story also illustrates how important it is for government agencies to take a person’s actual family circumstances into account during mobilization and military service—especially when it comes to young children who are effectively left without proper parental care.

As a result, the man was discharged from service and returned to his two children. At the same time, the ombudsman emphasized that the family should not have had to appeal to his office to secure a decision that should have been made as part of the normal functioning of the government system. This was reported by Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, on Telegram.