Legal aid to foreigners and citizens of Ukraine as a priority of state policy
Ensuring legal protection of foreign citizens and persons affected by Russian aggression should become a systemic element of Ukraine’s state policy. This was stated by Oleksiy Shevchuk, Chairman of the Board of the National Association of Lobbyists of Ukraine, spokesman for the National Bar Association of Ukraine.
According to him, legal assistance to foreign citizens, journalists and military personnel who are or have been on the territory of Ukraine and suffered damage as a result of the aggression should be institutionalized at the legislative level.
It is not only about the humanitarian aspect, but also about the formation of the post-war legal architecture and a new system of international security.
Ukraine as part of a new Europe
The events of recent years have transformed not only Ukraine but also the whole of Europe. Ukraine has actually become a shield for the European community, and the full-scale war has become a catalyst for profound political and legal changes.
In these circumstances, the creation of mechanisms for the legal protection of foreign nationals who:
- work in Ukraine as journalists;
- are engaged in humanitarian or professional activities;
- participate in the defense of Ukraine;
- affected by russian aggression.
Today, a significant number of foreign military personnel are defending Ukraine, and thus the European security space. At the same time, Russia continues to use international mechanisms, including Interpol, to prosecute such individuals.
Legislative gap
The current Ukrainian legislation does not provide for systematic state legal aid to foreign citizens affected by the aggression of the Russian Federation, both civilian and military.
This is a consequence of the fact that the legal model was formed in different historical conditions. Today, however, this gap is becoming critical in view of Ukraine’s international obligations and its integration into the European legal space.
In fact, legal aid to foreigners is currently provided by separate institutional initiatives, not as an element of state policy.
The legal front as part of the war
Russia’s aggression is not only on the battlefield. It is also conducted at the international information, political and legal levels. The use of international legal instruments in its own interests is part of this strategy.
That is why the issue of legal protection of foreign citizens who supported Ukraine or became victims of aggression requires immediate regulatory regulation, both at the level of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and in coordination with European institutions.
Position of the Ukrainian National Lobbyists Association
The Ukrainian National Lobbyists Association consistently supports the formation of systemic changes in the field of public policy, which:
- provide for the institutionalization of legal aid to foreign citizens;
- ensure that national legislation is consistent with European standards;
- form the long-term legal architecture of postwar Ukraine.
Legal assistance to foreigners affected by the Russian aggression should become a state policy and not remain solely an initiative of individual platforms or public institutions.
This approach is in line with Ukraine’s strategic course of integration into the European legal space and the formation of a new international security system.
