CoE Committee of Ministers adopted a decision on the problem of non-enforcement of the court decisions

25.03.21

On 11 March 2021, at their 1398th DH meeting, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (Committee) adopted a new decision on Ukraine’s progress in solving the systemic problem of non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of domestic judgments given against the State. In their decision, the Committee exhorted the Ukrainian authorities to take resolute action to resolve the long-standing problem, paying attention to the changes to the 2021 State Budget, which has only distanced Ukraine from comprehensively solving the issue.

In particular, in 2021, expenditures to finance the State Budget Programme 3504040 ‘Measures for the Enforcement of Judicial Decisions Guaranteed by the State’ have been reduced sixfold compared to 2020, making it impossible for the State to pay its debts under thousands of unenforced domestic judgments. In January 2021, within the communication to the Committee of the state of execution by Ukraine of the ECtHR judgments on the matter, strategic lawyers of CF ‘Right to Protection’ submitted observations with the Committee, emphasizing the critical lack of funding to fully cover the expenditures for enforcement of domestic judgments, including those concerning the payment of pension arrears to IDPs and residents of the temporarily occupied territories.

According to the response of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Government noted the interest of CF ‘Right to Protection’ to the non-enforcement problem (especially, with regard to judgments on pension payments for IDPs and residents of the temporarily occupied territories, as well as conflict-related losses), stressing that the State is focused on finding a long-lasting solution to this problem, which gives hope for the change of the current state of affairs.

Finally, the Committee deeply deplored the dramatic decrease in funding of the State Budgetary Programme 3504040, adding that it ‘could be seen as an indication of the overall lack of political will to ensure the effectiveness of the system of domestic enforcement of judgments.’

Committee рішення Комітету Міністрів Ради Європи щодо невиконання Україною судових рішень

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22.03.21

On March 16, an online round table «Freedom of movement across the contact line: the problem of fines for violating the special order of entry and exit to and from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine» was held.

The event was held at the level of the Committee on Human Rights, Deoccupation and Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, National Minorities and International Relations of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Members of Parliament, chairmen of committees and subcommittees, representatives of central and local authorities, international and Ukrainian NGOs joined the round table.

Oleh Tarasenko, Senior Strategic Lawyer at Right to Protection CF (R2P) also took part in an online event.

Particularly, Mr. Oleg pointed to the three current problems:

Application of fines for crossing the contact line through uncontrolled areas of the state border of Ukraine: people often have no other way;
Application of fines for exceeding the limit of 50,000 hryvnias for moving the cash to and from the occupied territories: most retirees cross the contact line only once in every two to six months to withdraw cash, and the amount of funds in this case may exceed the following limit;
Protocols on administrative violations are drawn by the SBGS officers with significant errors: lack of necessary signatures of the person who is being fined, non-issuing of a second copy of the protocol to such a person, etc.

«We believe that such restrictions, at least for the quarantine period, should be reduced. According to Ms. Noel Calhoun, there are many ways to do this. We should not forget that the Supreme Court of Ukraine has ruled in such cases that the body which brings a person to administrative responsibility cannot focus only on a person pleading guilty. We all understand that a person who has been moving to the state border for a very long time to get to the controlled territory will have no choice but to admit guilt and agree to a fine. But this will not be a voluntary confession. That is why such responsibility must be postponed or abolished.»
– said Oleg Tarasenko during his report.

Recording of a full speech of our colleague is available below. The full video & audio recordings of the round table is also available on the Committee’s website (Both in Ukrainian).

Доповідь Олега Тарасенка під час круглого столу: «Свобода пересування вздовж лінії розмежування»
☝️ Станом на сьогодні, громадяни України, які проживають на тимчасово непідконтрольних територіях зазнають найбільших утисків їхніх прав та свобод. ❌ Представники незаконних збройних формувань постійно блокують роботу більшості пунктів пропуску на сході України. Людям не залишається нічого іншого як перетинати державний кордон у непідконтрольних ділянках на кордоні з РФ. А по в’їзду в Україну на них вже чекає штраф…💵 «Свобода пересування вздовж лінії розмежування: проблема застосування штрафних санкцій за порушення порядку в’їзду на тимчасово окуповану територію України та виїзду з неї» – саме такою була назва теми круглого столу, який відбувся 16 березня у форматі Zoom відеоконференції. 🤝 Захід проведений на рівні Комітету з питань прав людини, деокупації та реінтеграції тимчасово окупованих територій, національних меншин і міжнаціональних відносин Верховної Ради України. До участі долучилися народні депутати, голови комітетів та підкомітетів, представники центральних та місцевих органів влади, міжнародних та українських неурядових організацій. Зокрема, участь у круглому столі від БФ «Право на захист» взяв головний стратегічний юрист Oleg Tarasenko. У своїй доповіді пан Олег зазначив про три наявних наразі проблеми: 🔵 Застосування штрафів за перетин лінії розмежування через непідконтрольні ділянки державного кордону України: у людей часто немає іншого виходу; 🔵 Застосування штрафів за перевищення допустимого ліміту в 50000 гривень на вивезення готівки з та на окуповану територію. Велика частина пенсіонерів перетинають лінію розмежування лише раз на пів року для зняття готівки, а сума коштів у такому випадку може перевищувати зазначений максимум; 🔵 Складання протоколів про адмінпорушення співробітниками ДПСУ з допущенням суттєвих помилок: відсутність необхідних підписів особи, що притягається до відповідальності, невидача другого примірника протоколу такій особі тощо. 💬 «Ми вважаємо, що такі обмеження, принаймні на період карантину, повинні бути зменшені. Як зазначила шановна пані Ноель Калхун, для цього є багато шляхів. Не варто забувати й про те, що Верховний Суд України визначився у подібних справах, що орган, який притягає особу до адміністративної відповідальності не може орієнтуватися на одне лише визнання особою вини. Всі ми розуміємо, що у людини, яка дуже довгий час рухалася до державного кордону, щоб потрапити на підконтрольну територію не буде іншого вибору як визнати провину та погодитися на штраф. Але це не буде добровільним зізнанням. Саме тому, таку відповідальність треба відстрочити або скасувати.» – сказав Олег Тарасенко під час своєї доповіді. 🔗 Пропонуємо Вам переглянути доповідь нашого колеги нижче у відео. Також, Ви можете подивитися повний запис трансляції круглого столу або прослухати аудіозаписом на сайті Комітету: https://cutt.ly/jxtLqOD UNHCR Ukraine – Aгентство ООН у справах біженців в Україні Управління ООН з координації гуманітарних справ / OCHA Ukraine EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid – ECHO ACTED Ukraine People in Need Médicos del Mundo España IMPACT Initiatives HelpAge International HelpAge Ukraine – Представництво HelpAge International в Україні Комітет Верховної Ради України з прав людини Людмила Денісова
Posted by Право на захист on Friday, March 19, 2021

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17.03.21

To the President of Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

APPEAL

Dear Mr. President!

Seven years ago as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, an international armed conflict broke out in Ukraine and continues to this day. Its consequences for our state and citizens are enormous: more than 13 thousand people were killed, about 33 thousand people were injured, more than 1.4 million people were forced to leave their homes and became internally displaced persons, thousands of prisoners and missing persons, more than 55 thousand destroyed residential buildings only in the territory controlled by the Government of Ukraine.

The occupation of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol led to the closure of enterprises, reduction of markets, reduction of purchasing and solvency, lower living standards, severance of social and family ties, catastrophic environmental impact and many other negative consequences.

All this requires a response from the Ukrainian authorities and civil society. However, if in 2014 it was necessary to take measures to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, in particular due to mass internal displacement, in 2021 Ukraine faces other issues in the context of an armed conflict.

One of the most challenging issues today is the lack of a systematic state coordinated policy of Ukraine to overcome the negative consequences of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation. The inconsistency of the positions and actions of the Parliament, the Government and the Office of the President of Ukraine carries risks for further deoccupation and reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, causing fear and misunderstanding on the part of the citizens of Ukraine.

An example is the situation with the issue of criminalization of cooperation with the occupying authorities (so-called “collaborationism”). According to the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for the Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, given the analysis of historical experience, the concept of “collaborationism” should be abandoned.

At the same time, only in February this year the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine registered three bills (including the deputies of the Servant of the People party), which aim to introduce criminal liability (up to the life imprisonment) for various forms of cooperation of Ukrainian citizens with the occupation authorities or aggressor country. Collaborationism as a concept is harmful because it expands the list of those who are planned to be prosecuted. Such legislative initiatives are aimed at revenge, not at achieving lasting peace and social harmony.

Proposals to criminalize “collaborationism” appear at a time when a number of issues necessary to realize the rights of victims of the conflict need to be resolved at the legislative level. In particular, this week the Verkhovna Rada agenda includes consideration of the draft Law “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Concerning the Implementation of International Criminal and Humanitarian Law” (Reg. №2689) in the second reading, which will allow criminal prosecution for committing international crimes in the context of armed conflict (genocide, aggression, crimes against humanity and war crimes).

The procedure for absentee court proceedings and the terms of pre-trial investigation of crimes committed in the context of armed conflict also need to be standardized. Also, the issues of compensation for the damage caused by an armed conflict, determination of a status of civilian hostages and political prisoners and providing them with social protection, the introduction of mechanisms for the use of information from documents issued in the occupied territories, and other issues remain unresolved.

In addition to the legislative settlement of a number of issues that have arisen due to armed aggression, it is necessary to develop the conceptual foundations of state policy in the field of transitional justice. After all, before talking about the terms of imprisonment for cooperation with the occupier, first of all it is necessary to develop criteria for recognizing a person as a victim of an armed conflict and general approaches to compensation for the damage caused as a result of an armed aggression.

The topic of transitional justice is voluminous and multilevel, and the adoption of point bills, without defining a framework concept, is not only counterproductive but also harmful. Such bills only deepen the problem of inconsistencies at the legal and institutional levels. The first step should be the creation and approval of a comprehensive roadmap (concept) for the transitional justice process, the prioritization of goals and objectives, and the selection of appropriate tools and mechanisms to address the challenges that Ukraine is facing during an armed conflict.

We, the representatives of NGO sector, human rights and dialogue organizations, call on you, Mr. President, as the guarantor of the Constitution of Ukraine, to promote the coherence and consolidation of a state policy to overcome the negative consequences of an armed conflict and introduce a holistic and systemic approach to transitional justice at all levels.

Ukrainian citizens, both in the territory controlled by the Government of Ukraine and in the occupied territories, must be assured that all war crimes and crimes against humanity will be properly investigated and those guilty will be punished. All victims of war and occupation need to be provided with an effective compensation mechanism, and the state must start the immediate implementation of this mechanism. The victims need justice today.

ZMINA Human Rights Center

Vostok SOS Charitable Foundation

Eastern Ukrainian Center for Civic Initiatives

NGO “Public holding “Group of Influence”

Charity Foundation Stabilization Support Services

Ukrainian Institute for Human Rights

Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research

Kharkiv Institute for Social Research (KhISR)

Centre of Public Initiatives “Ideas for Change” (IfC)

NGO “Donbass SOS”

NGO “CrimeaSOS”

The Crimean Human Rights Group

CCE “Almenda”

Charitable Fund “Right to Protection”

17.03.21

The Interdepartmental Commission for Establishing the Injury or Other Damage to Health Received from Explosives, Ammunition and Military Weapons on the Territory of the Anti-Terrorist Operation* has been holding its meetings since December 2018.

During this time, despite lots of obstacles and all sorts of incidents, this commission considered 148 applications, made 134 positive decisions and 12 refusals. Some of the applications were postponed due to the missing documents.

The obvious positive moment in terms of the effectiveness of this structure is the presence of the representatives of non-governmental organizations in the commission – those who on a daily basis take care of the issues of people, affected by an armed conflict in the east of Ukraine.

Activists know very well not the factual but the “human” side of the issues. As a member of this commission, I approach the consideration of each case with full responsibility, because I understand that all of this is not about dry facts and stacks of papers, but about the lives and fates of Ukrainians.

I still remember one of the cases. The guardian appealed to the commission in favor of her granddaughter. An excerpt from the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations (an extract) concerning the case stated: “during the shelling the bomb hit the school, citizen XXX was injured, 2 people died.” But then you read and understand that those two dead people were the girl’s mother and her brother…

That is why the documents were submitted by the guardian. And at this moment you feel like you’re among the ruins of this school…

You realize how many lives and destinies this war has destroyed. The only thing you can do to help them now is to read these documents carefully and fight for each of those who asked for help.

I also remember another meeting of the commission when the application of a couple was considered. It was already clear that they would be refused as it was not possible to establish in which location the injury occurred**.

Following the monitoring of this situation, the media managed to find out that the couple was injured during the evacuation from the village where they lived. Illegal armed groups occupied the village, but gave the opportunity to leave to those who do not want to stay. The couple and several other people got into a car and headed towards the controlled area, but it turned out that this was not a gesture of goodwill, but a trap: the car was mined. An explosion occurred as the car approached the Ukrainian military checkpoint.

I said this during a meeting of the Interdepartmental commission, and after a lively discussion it was decided to provide a positive decision on this matter, as the territory of the military checkpoint although not being included in the list of Government-Controlled Area settlements, is actually controlled by Ukraine.

In fact, a precedent was set in the consideration of the cases and identical cases now receive positive decisions as well. Of course, it would have been great if our citizens did not find themselves in such dangerous and horrible situations, but, unfortunately, occupation and military conflict always goes hand in hand with casualties and losses. It is the duty of the state to provide social protection to the victims of this conflict. This protection is provided today by the Interdepartmental Commission. If you have an injury or disability, received during an armed conflict you surely must submit documents and application to the commission. And we will do our duty – will be fighting for everyone of you!

Anastasia Odintsova

Advocacy Lawyer

Right to Protection CF

List of the documents needed to be collected before an application is available following this link

*The Commission acts on the basis of the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers № 306 from 04/25/2018 «Some issues concerning the establishment of the connection of a disability with the injuries or other damage to the health»

**There is a discriminatory restriction on the territorial definition of this resolution. Until December 1, 2014 the status is granted if a wound was received in the area of Anti-Terrorist Operation, after December 1, 2014 only if the wound was received in the Government-Controlled Area or near the contact line.

UNHCR Ukraine

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16.03.21

Today R2P presents the report ‘Crossing the contact line’ for February 2021, prepared by the NGO ‘Right to Protection’. The report is based on data collected during the monitoring of the situation on EECPs. More statistical data is available on the Eastern Ukraine Checkpoint Monitoring Online Dashboard: https://www.unhcr.org/ua/en/eecp-monitoring-2021

HIGHLIGHTS:

During the month, crossing the contact line remained possible only through two EECPs: Novotroitske in Donetska Oblast and Stanytsia Luhanska in Luhanska Oblast, at a level considerably below the pre-COVID period. The number of people crossing the contact line increased in February compared to January by 31 percent: 39,497 and 27,480 respectively.
At the end of February, it was still not possible to take free-of-charge rapid COVID-19 tests at Stanytsia Luhanska EECP, despite governmental instructions. PCR tests for COVID-19 could only be done at one’s own expense in three different private laboratories located at the EECP. At Novotroitske EECP, of those who crossed 518 (87%) people took advantage of the opportunity to pass a rapid test for COVID-19.
Visiting relatives remained the main reason for crossing in both directions, including for people crossing into GCA. NGCA residents also crossed EECPs for reasons of cash withdrawal, issues of pension or social payments, and documentation issues. In February 2020, visiting relatives was only the third widespread reason for crossing into GCA, after pension recovery and cash withdrawal.
R2P monitors facilitated 120 requests for crossing from GCA residents through the fast-track procedure. Also, R2P assisted about 800 persons with installing the “Vdoma” app.
During the month of February, 4,483 vulnerable elderly persons were provided with transport support at Stanytsia Luhanska EECP by the NGO “Proliska” e-vehicle.

The report is available in English and in Ukrainian.

The report is based on the results of a survey conducted by R2P at the five EECPs to enter the NGCA and administered on a regular basis since June 2017. The survey is a part of the monitoring of violations of rights of conflict-affected populations within the framework of the project ‘Advocacy, Protection, and Legal Assistance to IDPs’ implemented by R2P, with the support of UNHCR. The purpose of the survey is to explore the reasons and concerns of those traveling from the NGCA to the GCA, as well as conditions and risks associated with crossing the line of contact through EECPs. The information collected in the survey helps identify protection needs, gaps, and trends, and provides an evidentiary basis for advocacy efforts.

Report ‘Crossing the contact line’, February 2021

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16.03.21

Migrant Accommodation Centre (MAC) is a temporary stay point for foreigners and stateless persons that have no legal right to stay on the territory of Ukraine.

There are three such points in Ukraine – in the Rozsudiv village (Chernihiv region), in the Martynivske village (Mykolaiv region) and in the Zhuravychi village (Volyn region).

Чернігівський ПТПІ — MAC in the Rozsudiv village in Chernihiv region. Photo – Google Maps

Миколаївський ПТПІ — MAC in the Rozsudiv village in Chernihiv region. Photo – Google Maps

A person can be placed in MAC if:

The court made a decision on forced expulsion against such a person.
The court made a decision on the detention of such a person for the purpose of identification and enforcement of expulsion.
A person was detained by the representatives of the State Migration Service of Ukraine and has no documents that confirm the legal grounds to stay in Ukraine.
A person was detained by a court decision until the completion of an asylum application in Ukraine (refugee status or complementary protection).

If you are detained and you need the help of a lawyer, call the emergency hotline of the Right to Protection CF:

+38 (093) 038 95 62

More useful information concerning the rights of refugees and persons in need of complementary protection can be found on the Facebook page of the Refugee Helper chatbot.

UNHCR Ukraine – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ukraine

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15.03.21

Our next story is about a special category of beneficiaries. According to our monitors, the number of people who have been released from prisons (from those who regularly cross the EECPs) recently had a significant increase.

Many of these people do not have any documents, and even if they have some – those are already not valid. Without the documents the return to the usual, normal life is impossible.

The story of Oleksandr begins in the town of Khrustalny (the old name is Krasny Luch, now located in the Non-Government Controlled Area) in the Luhansk region, Ukraine.

In 1994, a man received the passport of a citizen of Ukraine. In 2012, Oleksandr went to work in Russia. One day, all his documents were stolen, including the passport. But the misfortune never comes alone… The man was sent to a penal colony in the town of Klintsy in the Bryansk region.

Work abroad, the loss of documents and imprisonment. The story of Oleksandr 1 Поїздка на заробітки, втрата документів та позбавлення волі. Історія Олександра

After being released from the colony in December 2020, the Federal Migration Service of the Russian Federation issued Oleksandr an identity card to return to Ukraine. Then he was deported from the Russian Federation.

Work abroad, the loss of documents and imprisonment. The story of Oleksandr Поїздка на заробітки, втрата документів та позбавлення волі. Історія Олександра

The man was returned to Stanytsia Luhanska. He had no money or documents. The identity card given by the Russian authorities was valid only until January 21, 2021. Oleksandr was left alone – without a family, without home, without hope for the future…

Being in such a difficult situation, Oleksandr did not understand who to turn to for help. Once, while walking through the city of Stanytsia Luhanska, he saw the announcement of the Right to Protection CF from which he learned that the fund provides free legal assistance in processing and renewing the documents.

Oleksandr turned to our specialists to obtain a new passport of a citizen of Ukraine. A lawyer from the Severodonetsk office of the R2P helped Oleksandr draw up and fill in the necessary documents, as he could not write fluently in Ukrainian.

At the Novoaydar National Police Department a dactyloscopic examination for an extended request for verification of a person at the State Migration Service was conducted. Then the identification of a person was done and a fee for the production of a passport was paid.

Thanks to the highly professional and efficient work of the Migration Service, particularly the head of the Novoaidar district department of the State Migration Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr managed to register as a citizen of Ukraine without the court procedure.

As of today, it is known that the man has already married and is actively searching for a job.

UNHCR Ukraine – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ukraine

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12.03.21

On March 11, the Right to Protection CF organized an online meeting for the amalgamated territorial communities (hromadas) representatives on the practical aspects of working with the «Social Hromada» information system.

More than 100 hromadas representatives from Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions joined the video meeting.

During the event, the specialists from the amalgamated communities who have already started the implementation of the «Social Hromada» software had the opportunity to improve their skills in working with this information system. The participants of the online meeting received all the necessary information so that the further implementation of the software complex will be much easier for them.

The integrated information system «Social Hromada» is a software-based combination of the “front offices” that receive the documents and applications from the citizens (i.e. Administrative Services Centres) with the “back offices” – structural units of the Department of Social Protection of the district state administrations, where the decisions on the provision of services (including the social ones) are made.

Such a system makes it possible to transfer the received electronic copies of documents to the back office on the same day, which in turn significantly speeds up the process of the provision of administrative services. On March 1, all amalgamated communities started working with the «Social Hromada» system.

Online meeting recording is available! All the amalgamated communities representatives are invited to watch!*

*video is in Ukrainian

Онлайн-зустріч «Організація роботи громад в ПК «ІІС «Соціальна громада»
Понад 100 представників ОТГ Дніпропетровської та Запорізької областей підвищили навички в роботі з інтегрованою інформаційною системою «Соціальна громада»🙌 🔍 Онлайн-зустріч, яка була організована БФ «Право на захист», зібрала в одному колі спеціалістів територіальних громад, які почали впровадження програмного комплексу «Інтегрована інформаційна система «Соціальна громада». Кожен учасник виніс для себе ту необхідну інформацію, яка дасть змогу зробити впровадження програмного комплексу в роботу громад простим та зрозумілим. Крім того, ми прагнули залучилися підтримкою представників Департаменту соціального захисту населення Дніпропетровської та Запорізької обласних рад, які готові надавати необхідні роз’яснення та допомогу громадам й надалі. ℹ️ Чому це важливо? Програмний комплекс «Інтегрована інформаційна система «Соціальна громада» об’єднує в єдиному інформаційному середовищі «фронт»-офіси прийому документів від населення, що знаходяться, наприклад, у ЦНАП, з «бек»-офісом у структурних підрозділах соціального захисту населення (СПСЗН) райдержадміністрації, де приймається рішення про надання адміністративної послуги соціального характеру. ✅ Така система дає змогу того ж дня передавати в «бек»-офіс прийняті електронні копії документів, що своєю чергою значно пришвидшує отримання адміністративних послуг соціального характеру. З 1 березня всі громади розпочали працювати у системі «Соціальна громада». Поширюємо запис онлайн-зустрічі, і запрошуємо до перегляду представників інших ОТГ України. UNHCR Ukraine – Aгентство ООН у справах біженців в Україні
Posted by Право на захист on Thursday, March 11, 2021

UNHCR Ukraine – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ukraine

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11.03.21

Ivan was born in the late 1960s in the Donetsk region (back then – the Ukrainian SSR). There he studied at a boarding school. After graduating, Ivan entered a vocational school.

At the age of 16, Ivan received a Soviet passport, issued at the place of residence. All his life, the man lived in Ukraine with family, worked in one of the villages of Donetsk region and did not move anywhere out of Ukraine until 2002.

In 2002, as he returned back to Ukraine the need to replace a passport became urgent as the passports of citizens of Ukraine issued using the forms of the former USSR were valid only until January 1, 2005.

When the man applied to the Department of the State Migration Service for a passport of a citizen of Ukraine he was denied due to the fact that his citizenship of Ukraine could not be established. In addition, Ivan lost the original birth certificate and could not obtain it on his own due to the lack of valid documents.

Later, Ivan lost his Soviet passport.

In August 2019, Ivan applied to the office of the Right to Protection CF in the city of Slovyansk. After a detailed study of the case, the lawyer renewed the birth certificate and sent to the court a statement establishing the fact of Ivan’s permanent residence in Ukraine as of August 24, 1991 and as of November 13, 1991.

In the summer of 2020, after receiving a court decision establishing the mentioned above fact, Ivan applied to the State Migration Service department to register as a citizen of Ukraine. Due to quarantine, it took longer than usual. While waiting for a court decision, Ivan suffered a hand injury, and due to the lack of a passport he had difficulty accessing medical care.

Immediately after receiving a certificate of registration as a citizen of Ukraine, Ivan finally had the opportunity to apply for a passport of a citizen of Ukraine in January 2021. On March 3, 2021, he finally received a long-awaited passport.

From the age of 16 with a Soviet passport. The story of Ivan З 16-ти років з радянським паспортом. Історія Івана

UNHCR Ukraine – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ukraine

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