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Category: News

12.02.21

A person who is recognized as a refugee in Ukraine can obtain Ukrainian citizenship. To start the procedure, a refugee needs to submit the following documents:

  • Application for admission to the citizenship of Ukraine (2 copies);
  • Three photographs (35 x 45 mm);

One of the following documents:

  • Document on proficiency in the Ukrainian language or its understanding in an amount sufficient for communication, which is issued in Ukraine by the head of the educational institution or the local authority of Ukraine;
  • Copy of the certificate or an extract from the transcript of the diploma – for a person who has a document on graduation from an educational institution with the study of the Ukrainian language;
  • Document confirming disability – for a person with physical disabilities.

One of the following documents:

  • Declaration of absence of foreign citizenship – for stateless persons;
  • Declaration of refusal of a person who has been granted refugee status in Ukraine or asylum in Ukraine from foreign citizenship – for foreigners;
  • Documents confirming the granting of refugee status in Ukraine, as well as the fact of continuous legal residence on the territory of Ukraine for three years from the date of granting refugee status (certificate from the State Migration Service of Ukraine, copy of refugee certificate, copy of refugee travel document).

Applications for acceptance into Ukrainian citizenship are submitted by the refugee personally to the territorial subdivision of the State Migration Service of Ukraine at the place of registration in Ukraine.

The decision to accept a refugee into Ukrainian citizenship is made by the President of Ukraine.

The total period for consideration of applications of refugees for Ukrainian citizenship should not exceed nine months from the date of their receipt.

For refugees who have acquired Ukrainian citizenship, the territorial divisions of the State Migration Service of Ukraine issue passports of a citizen of Ukraine.

refugee citizen Ukraine passport паспорт біженець громадянство України

More relevant information is available on the
Refugee Helper chatbot page on Facebook

UNHCR Ukraine – Aгентство ООН у справах біженців в Україні

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11.02.21

In the end of 2019, R2P monitors met with Halyna (name changed) in one of the villages in the Donetsk region. All this time her only identifying document was the USSR passport, which is not considered as a legal proof of identity in Ukraine.

Halyna comes from the Crimea. In 2000, she moved to the Donetsk region. In addition to all mentioned, she has problems with the musculoskeletal system, which makes her mobility much more difficult.

According to the Law of Ukraine “On Citizenship”, Halyna is a citizen of Ukraine. Her Soviet passport contained a note of her residence registration in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea as of August 24, 1991. However, she never received a Ukrainian passport. At first there were no passport forms for exchange, and then she just somehow forgot about the need for it.

Halyna even had a Soviet birth certificate, which however was in a poor condition. The presence of the birth certificate original is a prerequisite for applying for a passport of a citizen of Ukraine for the first time. The woman tried to obtain a passport on her own and renew her birth certificate with the State Migration Service, but unfortunately without any success.

The lawyer of the Right to Protection CF received a new birth certificate and prepared all the necessary documents. But then another problem emerged with obtaining a ticket in the migration service electronic queue. There was no room in the queue. Even in midnight it was impossible to get a coupon to visit the State Migration Service of Ukraine to issue a national passport. We had to wait more than a month to get a coupon. Suddenly a new problem arose – a quarantine. All entries in the electronic queue have been canceled.

Later, the lawyer received a new coupon to the SMSU. When Halyna arrived with all the necessary documents and two witnesses, she was denied again. It turned out that the State Migration Service must obtain the approval of the management to issue a passport of a citizen of Ukraine in such a difficult case.

The third attempt to obtain a ticket in the electronic queue took about a month. Given the state of Halyna’s health, as well as remoteness of her residence from the city of Bakhmut where the city department of the SMSU is located this third attempt was a real trial.

Fortunately, in early November 2020, when the woman returned to the migration service being accompanied by R2P lawyer and monitor, her documents were accepted for consideration and an identification procedure was carried out with the participation of two witnesses.

3 талони в електронній черзі, рік випробувань, ціле життя без паспорту. Історія Галини 3 electronic queue coupons, a year of trials, a life without a passport. The story of Halyna

As a result, in January 2021, Halyna finally received her new passport and was able to apply for a pension. It has been more than a year until she finally received a Ukrainian passport.

UNHCR Ukraine – Aгентство ООН у справах біженців в Україні

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10.02.21

Since the introduction of the quarantine, many internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in hromadas have faced the question of whether targeted assistance will continue. As many of it’s recipients are at risk and are not able to apply for it due to quarantine restrictions. 

Fortunately, the state took into account the needs of the citizens in this matter – and regulations have been amended, according to which targeted assistance automatically continues for the period of quarantine and plus 30 days after the end of it. 

During the quarantine legal norm is suspended, according to which an internally displaced person who resides in the temporarily occupied territory (TOT) for more than 60 days loses the right to receive benefits.

Therefore, if the internally displaced person’s circumstances have changed and he / she claims a larger amount of targeted assistance, then after the end of the quarantine such a person can submit documents for recalculation of the amount of benefits from the moment of new circumstances. However, this rule applies in both directions, i.e. if the circumstances changed during the quarantine and the amount of targeted assistance was more than it was appointed, then after the quarantine sum will be recalculated and the recipient will have to return the overpaid funds.

But there are certain downsides to this story.  From the beginning of 2021, the rules for applying for targeted assistance have changed.  Therefore, from January 1, the application together with the necessary documents is accepted only if it is sent by mail or in electronic form through the official website of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine. 

In addition, the profile resolution states that a person may submit documents to officials of the executive body of the village, settlement, city council of the relevant Amalgamated territorial community (hromada) or to the Administrative Service Center (ASC).

On paper, everything looks okay, but it is unclear how the procedure will actually work. After all, ASCs do not accept such documents, and in order to submit documents to the representatives of the hromada it is necessary for it to be connected to a special service “Social Hromada”.  

According to the actual data, approximately 1,500 amalgamated territorial communities have been formed in Ukraine. Only up to 500 communities have been connected to the “Social Hromada” portal.

So, what do we have as a result?  

The quarantine was extended until February 28, 2021, and from March 1, 2021 all applications for targeted assistance should be processed by hromada representatives in an electronic form and then sent to the Ministry of Social Policy for assistance accrual.

We will see decentralization as it is, in an action. Do members of local amalgamated communities actually care about vulnerable groups? Is the issue of IDPs on the agenda? 

The answers to the above questions will depend on how quickly communities join the “Social Hromada” service and establish the process of assigning and providing social benefits.

We would like to advise internally displaced persons not to wait and start acting right now on their own. In order to do this, one needs to call the local authorities and ask if the amalgamated community is connected to the “Social Hromada” portal, what is the current procedure for assigning assistance and any other relevant questions.

Анастасія Одінцова ANASTASIIA ODINTSOVA RIGHT TO PROTECTION

 “IDPs are already full members of the amalgamated communities. They were granted the right to participate in local elections and I am sure that the right to receive social benefits in communities will also be implemented in the future” 
– said Anastasia Odintsova, legal analyst at the Right to Protection CF.

UNHCR Ukraine – Aгентство ООН у справах біженців в Україні

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09.02.21

On February 6, in the city of Izium in the Kharkiv region, R2P held consultation for internally displaced persons (IDPs) on the housing issues. 17 people joined the event.

During the consultation event such issues and topics were discussed:

  • The procedure for obtaining temporary housing;
  • Main features of housing programs for IDPs;
  • Housing programs: the hromada/settlement level.

“The housing problem has always been one of the most acute for internally displaced persons.  Given that IDP families have different opportunities and requirements, there is an urgent need for appropriate housing programs.  Only with joint efforts at the state and local levels we can achieve a positive result,”

– said Olena Prykhodko, attorney at Right to Protection CF.
Consultation Відбулась зустріч-консультація для ВПО щодо реалізації права на житло

Consultation was organized within the project “Promotion of Social Infrastructure Development, USIF VI”, with the support of the Ukrainian Social Investment Fund.

Consulting activities are regularly organized by the Right to Protection Charitable Fund and help IDPs to exercise their rights guaranteed by the Constitution, Laws of Ukraine and international norms.

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09.02.21

From February 16 to 18 the Prevent Prepare Protect Consortium (3P) will hold a three-day conference “Bridge the Gap: environmental and industrial risks in eastern Ukraine”

The event will be held in an online format in Kyiv. Conference will include thematic panel discussions on the prevention of risks of industrial, natural and environmental disasters in eastern Ukraine, as well as the protection and preparation of civilians and government agencies for possible emergencies in Donbas. In particular, the following issues will be raised:

  • Environmental Monitoring as the basis for a national risk-oriented approach;
  • The mine situation: from ecological constraint to ecological asset;
  • Evidence-based decision making for disaster risk management;
  • Decentralization – Settlement/Hromada level preparedness and response capacity.

The conference is being organized by the members of the 3P Consortium, ACTED, Embassy of Sweden in Kyiv, Embassy of France in Ukraine and with the support of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO).

You can find more detailed information following this link

Risk reduction conference 3P Consortium Конференція Консорціуму ЗР зменшимо ризики

3P Consortium was formed in 2019 by the group of international and Ukrainian NGOs to reduce disaster risk vulnerability in eastern Ukraine.  Members of the 3P Consortium are united by their desire to Prepare, Prevent and Protect civilian populations and critical service systems in Ukraine from the risks of natural, ecological and industrial disasters.

More on this topic:

05.02.21

In context of the decentralization reform a new administrative division system was approved in Ukraine in the mid of 2020. 1469 new territorial communities appeared on the map of the country.

To increase the efficiency of public administrations, the system of districts was optimized and instead of 490 “old” districts, 136 “new” districts were formed. Thus, the preconditions were made for an organization of the local elections in October 2020 on a new administrative division.

However since 2014 many settlements in Donetsk and Luhansk regions have been divided by the “contact line”. Due to non-compliance with international standards of security and democratic electoral process, the next and first local elections in October 2020 failed to be held.

On August 8, 2020, the Central Election Commission of Ukraine (CEC) adopted Resolution № 161, which approved a list of communities where local elections cannot be held. It included 10 villages, settlements and city councils of Donetsk region and 8 in the Luhansk region. Territorial communities where no local elections were held got into a legal collapse, as they could not fully exercise local self-government in order to approve the budget, to open accounts in the treasury, etc. 

In January 2021, some employees of the village, settlement, district, and city councils were not paid their salaries, the funding of educational and cultural institutions stopped due to non-payment of utilities, all the important facilities were on the verge of disconnection from gas and heat supply, administrative service centers have closed down, making it impossible to obtain social services, etc.

Decentralization in Ukraine. Problems and opportunities in Donetsk and Luhansk regions

“Such problems are not uncommon and diverse. Not only citizens, but also representatives of local government have questions to which there are no answers. The only positive solution in the current circumstances will be the establishment of civil-military administrations (CMA) in such territories. Therefore, conditions for the creation of the CMA were changed. ”

– said Alla Skvortsova, lawyer of the Severodonetsk office of the Right to Protection CF.

Relevant amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Civil-Military Administrations” entered into force on January 14, 2021. Now it is possible to create a CMA not only if local councils do not fulfill their tasks, but also if the CEC has decided that it is impossible to hold local elections in the community. Now the last word is left to the President of Ukraine as the amended version of the law was sent to him for signature.

UNHCR Ukraine – Aгентство ООН у справах біженців в Україні

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03.02.21

Our beneficiary Maksym has been living in Slovyansk since 1986. He has never received a passport of a citizen of Ukraine. Maksym is disabled, has lost his eyesight and moves in a wheelchair.

In 2016, he tried to obtain the document on his own. The State Migration Service of Ukraine (SMSU) managed to establish the identity of the man, but not the citizenship. Two years later, Maksym once again applied to the service to obtain a passport, but also with no luck.

He realized that he required professional legal aid in order to obtain the document. Maksym turned to the office of the Right to Protection CF in Slovyansk. Our Fund’s lawyer helped Maksym recover his lost birth certificate. After that, we applied to the court to establish the fact of Maksym’s permanent residence with his parents in Ukraine as of November 13, 1991. 

We even had to search for a witness in order to confirm this fact. Fortunately, a neighbor who had known the man since childhood agreed to come to the court to help.

With a court decision in his favor, Maksym appealed to the territorial department of the SMSU and finally received a certificate of registration as a citizen of Ukraine, and later, in December 2020 – a passport.

Історія Максима. Паспорт для того, аби побачити Maksym Story Passport to See

“When I received my passport, I immediately signed a declaration with my family doctor and underwent eye surgery. Previously, without documents, I could not receive even basic medical help… “

–  Maksym commented after finally receiving his first passport in life.

UNHCR Ukraine – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ukraine

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02.02.21

Experts of the Right to Protection CF (R2P), within the framework of the Prepare Prevent Protect (3P) Consortium (ACTED,  IMPACT Initiatives, R2P, the Danish, Austrian and Ukrainian Red Cross Societies) jointly with the Ministry for Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine have prepared the recommendations for public authorities on the protection of the population of eastern Ukraine from the risks of environmental and industrial-driven disasters.

The document contains important and detailed information addressed to the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine, the Ministry for Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine and the State Emergency Service on risks prevention.

Due to the destruction of many industrial and residential buildings as a result of the hostilities in the Donbas in Ukraine, there is a constant risk of emergencies that pose a threat to the population and to the environment.

Most of the risks are associated with the presence of a large number of flooded and semi-flooded mines in the Donbas, which in turn are connected by a complex underground system with other mines both in Non-Government and Government-Controlled Areas. Due to the constant movement of groundwater, the risks of flooding of mines and contamination of the sources of clean water increase significantly. This causes irreparable damage to the flora and fauna of the rivers that enter the Siversky Donets basin.

You can download or view the document in .pdf format:

3P Consortium was formed in 2019 by the group of international and Ukrainian NGOs to reduce disaster risk vulnerability in eastern Ukraine. 3P Members of the Consortium are united by their desire to Prepare, Prevent and Protect civilian populations and critical service systems in Ukraine from the risks of natural, ecological and industrial disasters

The recommendations were developed under the project “Reducing Disaster Risk Vulnerability in Eastern Ukraine” with the support of the European Union and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid. Experts on ecology and environment Yermakov Viktor Mykolayovych and Luniova Oksana Volodymyrivna were directly involved in the development.

Any views expressed in this document should in no way be taken to be an official position of the European Union. The European Commission is not responsible for any use of the information contained therein.

02.02.21

The Coalition of Public Human Rights and Charitable Organizations prepared an analysis of the Draft Law of Ukraine “On the State Policy of the Transition Period”.

The draft law is the first comprehensive publicly presented document devoted to the implementation of state policy in the context of the armed conflict and further deoccupation of the currently occupied territories of Ukraine. Draft covers various areas of public policy, including economics, law, and cybersecurity.

Experts of the Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations analyzed the text of the bill in detail. The analysis indicated the need of further work on conceptual aspects in order to avoid inconsistencies with the provisions of the Legislation of Ukraine and international norms.

“Together with a coalition of human rights NGOs, we worked on a consolidated analysis of this draft law. It is important to say that this is the first document on the issue of transition policy. The bill defines various areas of state policy to be pursued after the end of hostilities and in the context of deoccupation of territories. At the same time, based on the results of the analysis, it can be concluded that a number of provisions of this project need significant refinement. ”

– said Elina Shyshkina, advocacy coordinator at Right to Protection CF

You can view and download the Draft Law Analysis in .pdf format (in Ukrainian)

Висновок коаліції НДО щодо проєкту закону про політику перехідного періоду Conclusion of the NGO coalition on the draft law “On the State Policy of the Transition Period”

The conclusion was prepared by experts of the following organizations:

NGO “DonbasSOS”

NGO “KrymSOS” 

Right to Protection CF

Vostok SOS CF

NGO “Civil holding “GROUP OF INFLUENCE”

Stabilization Support Services in Ukraine CF

ZMINA Human Rights Center

Crimean Human Rights Group (CHRG)