Ministry of Development initiates UAH 50,000 payments to civilians freed from wartime captivity

The Ministry of Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine initiates one-time payments of UAH 50,000 to civilians who suffered from the illegal deprivation of their personal freedom by Russia, Deputy Minister of Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine Oleksiy Riabykin said during a briefing on Monday.

"We must ensure a fair and systematic approach to supporting all citizens who suffered from the deprivation of their personal freedom due to Russia's aggression, as well as strengthen state protection for everyone who was persecuted by the aggressor," Riabykin said.

The payment mechanism will provide that after being released from places of captivity and receiving a certificate from the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, a person will be able to submit an application to the Ministry of Development and Reform. The assistance will be paid in a lump sum of UAH 50,000 without additional decisions of the Commission.

Riabykin said the only source of such payments is and remains the state budget. This year, a little more than UAH 1.2 billion was provided, and a request for an additional UAH 800 million has now been sent from the reserve fund.

"Next year, we are also allocating approximately UAH 2 billion for these purposes. I hope that the people's MPs will support this proposal. This area is very sensitive and very important. The state must find ways to ensure it," Ryabykin said.

A representative of the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the system of security and defense sector bodies, Yuriy Kovbasa, reported that a resolution is also being developed that will guarantee a full package of support, including medical care, social benefits, rehabilitation and reintegration for all those who returned from Russian captivity, regardless of the circumstances under which a person was deprived of personal freedom.

The powers to establish the fact of deprivation of personal freedom as a result of armed aggression against Ukraine were transferred to the Ministry of Development and Reform in early 2025. Previously, such a Commission operated under the Ministry for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories.

From February 13 to October 20, 2025, the Commission on Establishing the Fact of Deprivation of Personal Freedom as a Result of Armed Aggression against Ukraine considered more than 3,700 applications, and 3,271 decisions were made to establish the fact of deprivation of personal freedom as a result of armed aggression against Ukraine. The ministry also approved payments of annual and one-time state aid in the amount of more than UAH 1 billion (8,109 payments of annual state cash aid and 3,361 payments of one-time state aid).

The commission considers applications not only based on the documents submitted by the person. Additionally, data and evidence confirming the fact of deprivation of liberty are taken into account.

In accordance with Law of Ukraine On social and legal protection of persons in respect of whom the fact of deprivation of personal liberty as a result of armed aggression against Ukraine No. 2010-IX of January 26, 2022, a decision to establish the fact may be adopted if a person was deprived of liberty due to his or her activities related to defending Ukrainian sovereignty, national interests, or for professional, public, political or human rights activities. The fact may also be established if a person was illegally detained as a hostage in order to coerce third parties to certain actions. The law clearly defines which categories of citizens are subject to its action.

In cases where a decision on recognition of the fact of deprivation of liberty is not made, the main reasons are that the person does not belong to the categories defined by law or the documents submitted by him are incomplete or do not meet the requirements of the law.

"The government, in cooperation with public organizations, must find an effective mechanism to help. It is necessary to clearly determine what is considered detention in the occupied territories, what is related to armed aggression, and what falls under the current legal grounds. At the same time, all families of those detained in connection with armed aggression against Ukraine should receive state support," Head of the public organization "Media Initiative for Human Rights" Tetiana Katrychenko said.