The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk and First Vice-Speaker Oleksandr Korniitenko met with the families of the fallen defenders of Ukraine and the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred
02 November 2023, 18:16
The meeting was also attended by Tetiana Tsyba, the Chairperson of the Subcommittee on Social Protection of Children Affected by the Armed Aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine since 2014 of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans’ Rights, as well as representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine – Oksana Zholnovych, the Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, Yulitia Laputina, the Minister of Veterans’ Affairs of Ukraine, and Taras Melnychuk, the Permanent Representative of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
“This is an important conversation, first of all, for the families of the fallen defenders of Ukraine, the heroes who gave their most valuable in the struggle for the sovereignty and independence of our country,” said the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
The participants discussed the problematic issues faced by the relatives of the fallen soldiers with a view to legislative regulation. In particular, the granting of the legal status of “family of the deceased” and bringing the amount of payments to family members of those killed during the ATO and JFO in line with payments to family members of those killed during the full-scale invasion.
The parties also discussed the revision of the categories of persons entitled to receive a one-time financial assistance, the procedure for paying a one-time financial assistance in the event of the death of a serviceman, to young and minor children who have lost both parents, and the categories of persons who receive a survivor’s pension.
At the same time, the parties raised the issue of pensions for family members of the deceased.
“We have heard what obstacles relatives of fallen soldiers and Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred face in practice. All these issues will be taken into account when amending the current legislation and developing new legislative acts,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk, expressing his gratitude to the participants for the constructive dialogue.
“The war has been going on since 2014. The priorities remain the same: defence, defenders and restoration of justice for the families of the first victims of this war – the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred. We will always remember those who laid down their lives for an independent and free state,” said Oleksandr Korniienko, the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.